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VTICODA
DATA ACQUISITION AND INSTRUMENT CONTROL
SOFTWARE
USER’S MANUAL
P/N: 82-0119-000
Released October 22, 2008
VXI Technology, Inc.
2031 Main Street
Irvine, CA 92614-6509
(949) 955-1894
VXI Technology, Inc.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Certification ..........................................................................................................................................................6
Warranty ...............................................................................................................................................................6
Limitation of Warranty .........................................................................................................................................6
Restricted Rights Legend......................................................................................................................................6
SUPPORT RESOURCES ...............................................................................................................................................7
SECTION 1....................................................................................................................................................................9
INTRODUCTION TO VTICODA....................................................................................................................................9
About this Manual ................................................................................................................................................9
The VTIcoda System Concept..............................................................................................................................9
Product Levels and Features ...............................................................................................................................10
VTIcoda Express ...........................................................................................................................................10
VTIcoda Pro ..................................................................................................................................................10
VTIcoda Expert .............................................................................................................................................11
System Requirements .........................................................................................................................................11
Supported Data Acquisition Hardware ...............................................................................................................11
Data Acquisition Hardware Installation..............................................................................................................11
Software Installation and Configuration.............................................................................................................12
Licensing of VTIcoda .........................................................................................................................................16
Detection of Hardware Status by VTIcoda During Operation............................................................................17
SECTION 2..................................................................................................................................................................19
QUICK START .........................................................................................................................................................19
About This Chapter ............................................................................................................................................19
First Steps ...........................................................................................................................................................19
Adding Data Acquisition Hardware Modules.....................................................................................................19
Creating a New Test Run....................................................................................................................................20
Creating Strain Gage Channels...........................................................................................................................21
Starting a Test Run .............................................................................................................................................22
View Definitions.................................................................................................................................................23
Create New View Definition.........................................................................................................................23
SECTION 3..................................................................................................................................................................27
VTICODA ADMINISTRATION ...................................................................................................................................27
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................27
Main Window .....................................................................................................................................................27
Menu Bar and Tool Bar.................................................................................................................................28
Tree ...............................................................................................................................................................28
Display Window............................................................................................................................................29
Menu Bar and Toolbar Functions .......................................................................................................................30
File Menu ......................................................................................................................................................31
Data Record Menu ........................................................................................................................................31
View Menu....................................................................................................................................................32
Window Menu...............................................................................................................................................32
“?” Menu .......................................................................................................................................................32
Hardware Detection and Configuration ..............................................................................................................32
System Administration .......................................................................................................................................34
User Management .........................................................................................................................................34
Shutdown Buffer ...........................................................................................................................................34
Path Settings..................................................................................................................................................35
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VTIcoda Catalogs ...............................................................................................................................................35
Editing of Catalog Entries via the Context Menu..........................................................................................36
Material Catalog............................................................................................................................................37
Unit Catalog ..................................................................................................................................................38
Measurement Dimensions Catalog................................................................................................................38
Group Catalog ...............................................................................................................................................39
Start/Stop Test Run - Calibration........................................................................................................................40
Calibration.....................................................................................................................................................41
Test Run List ......................................................................................................................................................42
Creating a New Test Run ..............................................................................................................................42
Copy a Test Run............................................................................................................................................43
Selecting a Test Run......................................................................................................................................44
Hardware Configuration................................................................................................................................45
Signals ...........................................................................................................................................................46
Alarms ...........................................................................................................................................................49
Strain Gage....................................................................................................................................................50
Temperature Balancing .................................................................................................................................51
Shunt Calibration...........................................................................................................................................51
Terminating VTIcoda Admin .............................................................................................................................53
SECTION 4..................................................................................................................................................................55
VTICODA VIEW ......................................................................................................................................................55
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................55
Main Window .....................................................................................................................................................56
Menu Bar and Tool Bar ......................................................................................................................................56
File Menu............................................................................................................................................................57
Data Record Menu..............................................................................................................................................57
View Menu .........................................................................................................................................................58
Color Configuration ......................................................................................................................................58
“?” Menu ............................................................................................................................................................59
View Definitions.................................................................................................................................................60
Create New View Definition.........................................................................................................................60
Copy View Definition ...................................................................................................................................66
Select View Definition ..................................................................................................................................66
Strain Prediction............................................................................................................................................67
Context Menu................................................................................................................................................67
Choosing the Data Source ..................................................................................................................................68
Arranging the Channel Diagrams .......................................................................................................................69
Context Menu of the Graphics Display ..............................................................................................................70
Separating a Display......................................................................................................................................71
Diagram Specific Color Settings ...................................................................................................................71
Display of Several Channels per Chart .........................................................................................................71
Replay Mode .................................................................................................................................................72
Axis Scaling ..................................................................................................................................................73
Scaling Parameters for the Channel (Y-Axis) ...............................................................................................73
Scaling Parameters for the Time Axis (X-Axis)............................................................................................74
Marker Mode.................................................................................................................................................74
Comments within the Diagram......................................................................................................................76
Zoom .............................................................................................................................................................77
Channel Selection..........................................................................................................................................77
Legend...........................................................................................................................................................77
Text Field ......................................................................................................................................................78
Limits ............................................................................................................................................................78
Printing..........................................................................................................................................................79
Print to File....................................................................................................................................................80
Freezing a Display.........................................................................................................................................80
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SECTION 5..................................................................................................................................................................83
VTICODA SAMPLE ..................................................................................................................................................83
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................83
SECTION 6..................................................................................................................................................................85
VTICODA CHANNEL CALCULATOR ........................................................................................................................85
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................85
Starting the Channel Calculator..........................................................................................................................85
Operating Elements ............................................................................................................................................86
Creating a New Formula.....................................................................................................................................87
Open and Name New Formula ......................................................................................................................87
Example of Defining a New Formula ...........................................................................................................88
SECTION 7..................................................................................................................................................................91
VTICODA LIST CREATOR .......................................................................................................................................91
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................91
Operation ............................................................................................................................................................91
Remark on the WHERE and ORDER BY buttons........................................................................................94
SECTION 8..................................................................................................................................................................95
VTICODA COLLECT ................................................................................................................................................95
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................95
VTIcoda Collect Functions and Operating Elements .........................................................................................95
Evaluation of Measurement Data Using MS Excel ............................................................................................96
Output of Raw Data.......................................................................................................................................96
SECTION 9..................................................................................................................................................................99
VTICODA ALARM ...................................................................................................................................................99
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................99
Master Alarm....................................................................................................................................................100
Remote Alarm...................................................................................................................................................101
VTIcoda Alarm Display Elements....................................................................................................................101
Alarm Status Colors ....................................................................................................................................102
SECTION 10..............................................................................................................................................................105
VTICODA LOGVIEWER .........................................................................................................................................105
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................105
LogViewer with Real-time Test .......................................................................................................................105
LogViewer with Real-time Test .......................................................................................................................106
Filtering Alarm Messages.................................................................................................................................106
Print Log File....................................................................................................................................................108
SECTION 11..............................................................................................................................................................111
VTICODA SOFTWARE INFORMATION ....................................................................................................................111
Overview of Program Files...............................................................................................................................111
Location of Program Files...........................................................................................................................112
Storage of Data .................................................................................................................................................112
Software Configuration ....................................................................................................................................113
INDEX .......................................................................................................................................................................115
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VXI Technology, Inc.
CERTIFICATION
VXI Technology, Inc. (VTI) certifies that this product met its published specifications at the time of shipment from
the factory.
WARRANTY
The product referred to herein is warranted against defects in material and workmanship for a period of one year
from the receipt date of the product at customer’s facility. The sole and exclusive remedy for breach of any warranty
concerning these goods shall be repair or replacement of defective parts, or a refund of the purchase price, to be
determined at the option of VTI.
VTI warrants that its software and firmware designated by VTI for use with a product will execute its programming
when properly installed on that product. VTI does not however warrant that the operation of the product, or
software, or firmware will be uninterrupted or error free.
LIMITATION OF WARRANTY
The warranty shall not apply to defects resulting from improper or inadequate maintenance by the buyer, buyersupplied products or interfacing, unauthorized modification or misuse, operation outside the environmental
specifications for the product, or improper site preparation or maintenance.
VXI Technology, Inc. shall not be liable for injury to property other than the goods themselves. Other than the
limited warranty stated above, VXI Technology, Inc. makes no other warranties, express or implied, with respect to
the quality of product beyond the description of the goods on the face of the contract. VTI specifically disclaims the
implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
RESTRICTED RIGHTS LEGEND
Use, duplication, or disclosure by the Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subdivision (b)(3)(ii) of the
Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause in DFARS 252.227-7013.
VXI Technology, Inc.
2031 Main Street
Irvine, CA 92614-6509 U.S.A.
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SUPPORT RESOURCES
Support resources for this product are available on the Internet and at VXI Technology customer
support centers.
VXI Technology
World Headquarters
VXI Technology, Inc.
2031 Main Street
Irvine, CA 92614-6509
Phone: (949) 955-1894
Fax: (949) 955-3041
VXI Technology
Cleveland Instrument Division
5425 Warner Road
Suite 13
Valley View, OH 44125
Phone: (216) 447-8950
Fax: (216) 447-8951
VXI Technology
Lake Stevens Instrument Division
VXI Technology, Inc.
1924 - 203 Bickford
Snohomish, WA 98290
Phone: (425) 212-2285
Fax: (425) 212-2289
Technical Support
Phone: (949) 955-1894
Fax: (949) 955-3041
E-mail: [email protected]
Visit http://www.vxitech.com for worldwide support sites and service plan information.
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SECTION 1
INTRODUCTION TO VTICODA
ABOUT THIS MANUAL
The VTIcoda user’s manual is provided to help the user become acquainted with VTIcoda so that
its functionally can be understood and utilized. Please read this manual carefully and make sure to
keep it in a safe place for reference purpose at any time.
This chapter, Introduction to VTIcoda, provides an overview of the software concept, key product
features, PC system requirements, and licensing. The following chapter, Quick Start, summarizes
commonly used features that may be utilized during a daily the daily creating and running of tests.
The following chapters each describe the functionality of the individual VTIcoda software
modules such as VTIcoda Admin, VTIcoda Viewer, etc.
THE VTICODA SYSTEM CONCEPT
VTIcoda was designed to support the acquisition of data using a number of data acquisition
products manufactured by VXI Technology, Inc. (both VXI- and LXI-based, see Screen resolution
of 1280 x 1024
Supported Data Acquisition Hardware later in this chapter for more information).
VTIcoda can be used both as a standalone PC system or as a client/server software, which means
that several user’s may have online access to the data stored on the server(s). Thus, the diagrams
displaying measurement values can also be observed and analyzed on any office PC.
In most cases, VTIcoda uses two server systems, the “main server” and the “viewer server”.
The VTIcoda software system basically consists of two core modules:
•
•
Coda Admin: which is used to administrate the database and to define and start test runs (see
Section 3).
Coda Viewer: which graphically displays online or stored test data (see Section 4).
Other VTIcoda applications include VTIcoda Sample, VTIcoda Channel Calculator, VTIcoda List
Creator, VTIcoda Collect, VTIcoda Alarm, and VTIcoda LogViewer.
For ease of use, VTIcoda’s user interface has been designed with a typical Windows “look-andfeel,” including pull-down menus, slide and scroll bars, select fields, etc.
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PRODUCT LEVELS AND FEATURES
VTIcoda offers three product levels with different functionalities: Express, Pro, and Expert
(explained below).
Depending on the product level purchased, some of the functions described in this manual
may not be active/available. Please contact a VXI Technology Sales Support representative to
inquire about a VTIcoda upgrade if additional functionality is required. Because of the software’s
modular design, the software license can be easily upgraded at any time to provide enhanced
functionality or to support an increased number of input channels.
VTIcoda Express
VTIcoda Express provides the following functionality:
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< 96 channels
Single PC client/server configuration
Single instrument category support
Instrument identification
Instrument setup
o Basic arithmetical operations (mx+b)
o Channel grouping
o Save/recall current setup
Data logging/export (CSV/Excel compatible)
Data Displays
o Digital/tabular displays
o Strip chart with marker functions
o Time history with marker functions
o X-Y graph
o Bar graph
o Tachometer
o Marker functions
Manual start/stop of measurement
Event logging
Raw data management
o Save and recall data
o Data playback
VTIcoda Pro
Includes all functions of VTIcoda Express, plus:
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10
< 240 channels
Single PC client/server configuration
Multiple instrument category support
Alarm management (based on high/low limit values)
Calculated channels
o Base operations
Circular buffer
Running average (display level for calculated channels)
Strain and stress calculations for single channel type of sensors
o Excludes rosettes
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VTIcoda Expert
Includes all functions of VTIcoda Pro, plus:
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1 Client PC/1 Server PC as networked system
Strain and stress calculations, Rosette-type sensors
Real-time stress calculations
Predicted stress calculations and alarm management based on the predicted stress calculations
Multi-workstation support
Remote display capability
FFT computation/display
Import/export channel setup support for MS Excel
Strip chart/time history for min/max values for 64 channels, 16 diagrams per display
Data export in MATLAB 7.0 & later
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
The following hardware and software is required in order to successfully operate VTIcoda:
•
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2.4 GHz Intel® DualCore processor (or better)
2 GB RAM (or better), 4 GB RAM recommended
A dedicated 32 MB (or better) graphics card
2 x 200 GB available hard drive space (mirrored)
CD ROM drive
Microsoft® Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (Professional, Home, or Tablet PC-Edition),
Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4
(Note: the Asian language version is not supported)
Microsoft Excel (to use the list creation/data export function of VTIcoda)
Screen resolution of 1280 x 1024
SUPPORTED DATA ACQUISITION HARDWARE
Currently, VTIcoda can be used in conjunction with the following VXI Technology data
acquisition products:
•
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VT1413C and associated signal conditioning plug-on (SCP) cards
VT1415A and associated SCPs
VT1419A and associated SCPs
VT1422A and associated SCPs along with primary support for the VT1529A/VT1529B
EX1000
EX1016
EX1032
EX1048
EX1629
DATA ACQUISITION HARDWARE INSTALLATION
Please see the data acquisition hardware’s user manual for a detailed description of how to install,
configure, and operate these hardware products.
After installation of the data acquisition hardware, it is necessary to initially “announce” the
hardware modules to the suite of Agilent hardware drivers that should be installed on the PC
according to the hardware installation instructions.
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The hardware drivers and associated applications are combined to form the Agilent I/O Libraries
Suite. The I/O library is installed with VTIcoda and can be found in the Programs menu.
Select Agilent I/O Libraries and start the Connection Manager. This application will recognize
and register all connected data acquisition hardware.
For LXI-based hardware (e.g. EX1048, EX1629, etc.), it is necessary to manually enter the IP
address of each module once. Certain measurement hardware modules can also be disabled by the
Connection Manager, if required.
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION AND CONFIGURATION
Install VTIcoda on a PC by performing the following process:
1) Insert the VTIcoda CD into the PC’s CD-ROM drive. The software should Autorun and the
VTIcoda Install Wizard will start automatically.
2) A reminder will appear to close all other applications that are running on the PC. After closing
all other application, click Next to continue.
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3) When the License Agreement dialogue box appears, accept the terms of the license agreement
by clicking on the I Agree button.
4) At the Choose Components dialogue box, select the software features and components that
are required. Check the appropriate items before clicking the Next button.
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5) Indicate the destination folder for the installation of VTIcoda.
NOTE
It is recommended that the default path provided be used in order to ensure trouble-free operation.
6) Select (or confirm) the name for the start menu folder to be created for the program’s
shortcuts on the desktop.
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7) VTIcoda will copies the relevant files to the destination folders on the PC and will provide an
Installation Complete message, confirming the successful installation of the software on the
PC.
Once installed, keywords must be entered in order to run VTIcoda. Licensing is discussed in the
following section, Licensing of VTIcoda.
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LICENSING OF VTICODA
VTIcoda software functions are licensed by means of keywords. To receive the appropriate
keywords for VTIcoda, VXI Technology requires the physical (MAC) address of the PC on which
VTIcoda is installed. A Keyword Request Form will be sent to the end user where this information
can be recorded. This form is then returned to the distributor (or VXI Technology) so that a
keyword file can be generated.
FIGURE 1-1: VTICODA LICENSE MANAGER
Instructions on how to determine the physical address of the PC are provided on the Keyword
Request Form. In Windows, click on the Start button, then click on Run…. Type cmd in the text
field of the Run dialogue box. Next type ipconfig/all. The physical address will appear
under the “Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection” header. The physical address of the PC can
be determined by starting the LicenseManager (shown above) utility which can be found in the
VTIcoda/bin directory on the CD.
Once the physical address is obtained, use this information to complete the VTIcoda Order Form
(sent to the end user prior to shipment). Once completed, e-mail the completed form to the sales
representative that sent the request with “VTIcoda Keyword Request” in the Subject line.
Based on this information, the keywords for VTIcoda will be generated. A sales representative
will send a crypt.txt file which will enable the software. Copy this file to the “config” directory of
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the installed VTIcoda software. Unlocks the functionality appropriate for the product level
purchased.
Once the software has been unlocked, start VTIcoda by double-clicking the VTIcoda Admin icon
) on the PC desktop.
(
Provided that all steps described in the Data Acquisition Hardware Installation section have been
completed, VTIcoda automatically discovers all connected and active instruments upon startup
and gets auto-configured.
DETECTION OF HARDWARE STATUS BY VTICODA DURING OPERATION
In case the connection between the data acquisition hardware is interrupted (e.g. due to a
disconnected cable, hardware switched off, network failure, etc.), no warning will be provided as
VTIcoda does not automatically detect this status.
In such cases, proceed as follows to ensure smooth system operation:
•
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Terminate the VTIcoda Admin session.
Correct the error/remove the reason of hardware interruption.
Power on the data acquisition hardware.
Start a new VTIcoda Admin session.
Perform a master reset (in the Start/Stop Test Run screen).
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SECTION 2
QUICK START
ABOUT THIS CHAPTER
This chapter summarizes the essential steps that required during typical operation, i.e. adding data
acquisition modules, creating and starting test runs, and creating view definitions. This doe not,
however, provide a description of the functionality of each software module.
FIRST STEPS
The steps described below assume that the following has occurred:
1) Correct installation of the data acquisition hardware and announcement of the hardware to the
Agilent I/O Libraries (see Data Acquisition Hardware Installation),
2) Powered on the data acquisition hardware modules (otherwise, VTIcoda will not be able to
detect this hardware),
3) Correctly installed VTIcoda (see Software Installation and Configuration).
After starting VTIcoda by double-clicking the CodaAdmin icon on the PC desktop, the user must
log on to the system by entering the user name and password.
Having successfully entered the login data, the Coda Admin main window will appear.
ADDING DATA ACQUISITION HARDWARE MODULES
In the tree structure on the left of the screen, under Hardware Configuration, select the group for
which hardware modules will be added (e.g. VXI Tree).
In order for VTIcoda to accept connected hardware modules, click the Scan Hardware button
). VTIcoda will start to scan for hardware modules connected to the system. Do not start any
(
other operations before receiving the “Hardware scan complete” system message.
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Next, expand the Hardware Configuration item in the tree by clicking the + symbol on the left.
VTIcoda now displays the detected hardware modules.
NOTES
1) The scanning procedure should only be executed when the hardware setup has been changed
(i.e. replacing existing hardware or adding new hardware modules).
2) After a hardware scan, the hardware must be reallocated (using the Hardware Configuration
tab) in the next test run.
CREATING A NEW TEST RUN
To create a new test run, select the Testrun List item in the tree and click the Add button (
in the toolbar. A new, empty test run mask will now be created and displayed.
)
FIGURE 2-1: CREATING A NEW TEST RUN
By default, this new test run is named New Entry. To enter a different name which better
describes the test run, go to the Testrun name field and enter a new name.
After renaming the test run, refresh the tree display by once more clicking at the Testrun List
item in the tree. A new, empty test run will appear in the test run list.
In the Description field, enter a short text description that can be used to identify the test run (e.g.
the purpose of the new test run).
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Next, add as many channels as needed for the new test run. Do this by right clicking in the large
empty area to open the context menu and select the New…. This will create a new channel in the
test run.
FIGURE 2-2: ADDING CHANNELS TO A TEST RUN
Having created a new test run and the associated channels, parameters for the individual channels
should be defined. To configure a channel to a certain group, for example, double-click the empty
field of this channel in the Group column to open a pull-down list which offers all groups that
have been previously defined in the VTIcoda Catalogs/Groups section. Select an appropriate
group.
Proceed with the other parameters of the Hardware configuration tab, as described in Hardware
Configuration in Section 3. Then continue with the parameters of the next tabs (Signals, Alarms,
etc.).
CREATING STRAIN GAGE CHANNELS
When creating a test run for strain gage measurements, bear in mind that strain gages provide a
voltage when measuring signals. This means that, for each measurement channel (providing a
voltage signal), a calculation channel must be created in VTIcoda which converts the measured
voltage into a strain unit (see example below).
NOTE
The calculated channel does NOT require any hardware allocation!
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FIGURE 2-3: DEFINING CALCULATION CHANNELS FOR STRAIN GAGE MEASUREMENTS
NOTE
Please note that the calculation channel and the strain gage measurement channel it is assigned to
must both have the same transducer ID (to be defined in the Signals tab, see below, where logical
channels 1 and 2 have the Transducer ID “TD_0“ and logical channels 3 and 4 have the
Transducer ID “TD_1“). See Signals in Section 3 for a description of the signal parameters.
FIGURE 2-4: DEFINING THE TRANSDUCER ID
STARTING A TEST RUN
To start a test run, select the Calibration - Start/Stop Testrun item in the tree display.
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FIGURE 2-5: SELECTION OF TEST TO BE STARTED
Select a test run from the test run list displayed in the selection window and then click start Start.
VIEW DEFINITIONS
Before the display of the measurement diagrams can be enabled, a view definition must be
selected. If no view definitions are available, a new view definition should be created.
Create New View Definition
To create a new view definition, click the Change View Definition category in the tree on the left
of the screen, then click the (
) icon or choose the New Data Record function in the Data
Record menu. The header “Change View Definition, New Entry” appears in the main right part of
the window.
Enter a name for the new view definition in the Name field (e.g. EX1048_1), then click the
Insert! button. The new name will appear in the header line and the Add Channel and Remove
Channel buttons will be activated. The tree shows the new view name “EX1048_1” in the
Change View Definition category.
FIGURE 2-6: CREATE NEW VIEW DEFINITION
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Now, select a test run from the Testrun pull-down list and a display type from the Design pulldown list. After creating and naming the new view, determine which channels should be included
in this view.
Add Channel
Click the Add Channel! button to select the channels that will be displayed in this view
definition. The New Channel window opens.
FIGURE 2-7: ADDING CHANNELS FOR THE VIEW DEFINITION
The Group section of the window lists all available channel groups. As soon a group is selected,
the Transducer ID section of the window displays a list of all transducer IDs belonging to the
selected group. Select an ID by left-clicking the ID and the Label section of the window will
display a list of the available channels (only those channels listed have been configured in the test
run selected previously). Choose the desired channel, define its view parameters in the field below
the columns, and then click the Add button. After that, additional channels may be selected, as
required. Once the channel selection process has been completed, click the Close button. All
channel definitions which were passed to the clipboard will now be written to the View Definition
table.
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NOTE
To select multiple channels simultaneously, hold the Ctrl button while left-clicking individual
channels. To select multiple, contiguous channels, hold the Shift button when clicking the first
channel and then click the last channel to include.
In the event that a channel was omitted during initial set up, channels can be added later by
clicking the Add Channel button and selecting the additional channel in the window as described
above. Clicking the Close button finalizes the addition process.
The next step will be to pre-define some important view parameters.
Presetting the View Parameters
FIGURE 2-8: PRESETTING THE VIEW PARAMETERS
In the selection fields displayed at the bottom of the window, a number of view parameters can be
defined, such as which position and which window a channel will be displayed, the type of
diagram that will be used, and whether the scaling shall be logarithmic or linear. It is also possible
to select whether the measurement values of the channel shall be displayed along the x-axis or
along the y-axis and whether automatic scaling will used.
If several channels are selected, they will be automatically assigned to the preset window and
diagram type. The position will also be numbered automatically.
NOTE
If more than eight channels are selected for one window, double traces will result in the diagram.
It is possible to correct this error later in the channel table.
Adding Channels of Several Groups
Channels of several test runs can be selected for a view. To do this, chose the channels from one
test run and click the Add button. The channel data is passed to the clipboard. Switch to another
group, select the desired channels and click the Add button. These channel data will be added to
the data which were already passed to the clipboard. Once the desired channels have been added,
click the Close button. All selected channels will now be listed in the View Definition table. Here,
the entries for the channel display, the window position, and the diagram type can be corrected, as
the fields of the table can be edited.
Number of Charts Displayed
As soon as the channels are listed, the “Number of Charts Displayed” selection field offers 1, 4, 8,
and 16.
Next, select how many charts shall be displayed on the screen. A maximum of 16 diagrams per
screen page can be selected.
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When the “Number of Charts Displayed” is modified, the Update! button appears next to the test
name. Click this button to save modification to the database.
Table/Diagram Selection
If Diagram is selected, the desired online values are displayed in diagrams.
If Table is selected, the desired online values are displayed in tables.
Select one of the charts (1 – 16) and one of the positions (1 – 8).
The assignment of the channels to charts is not changed, the channels of one chart are displayed in
a table.
The Screen View Channel Table
FIGURE 2-9: SCREEN VIEW CHANNEL TABLE
See Screen View Channel Table in Section 4 for a complete description of all parameters available
in this table.
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SECTION 3
VTICODA ADMINISTRATION
INTRODUCTION
VTIcoda Admin is the core module of the VTIcoda software system. It provides access to many
of the key functions VTIcoda offers such as:
•
•
•
•
•
Configuration of measurement hardware
Administration of VTIcoda system
Definition of test runs
Start/stop of test runs
Hardware calibration, etc.
To start the VTIcoda Admin, double-click the (
) icon on the PC’s desktop.
MAIN WINDOW
FIGURE 3-1: STRUCTURE OF THE MAIN WINDOW
The CodaAdmin main window consists of two sections.
•
•
The left side of the window shows a tree displaying existing configuration, administration,
and test run items.
The right side of the window displays the relevant data of the item currently selected in the
tree on the left.
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Menu Bar and Tool Bar
FIGURE 3-2: MENU BAR AND TOOLBAR
The CodaAdmin menu bar offers the main menus (File, Data Record, View, Window, and “?”),
while the tool bar below includes a number of icons each of which can be double-clicked to
activate a function, e.g. add or delete an entry in the database, start another VTIcoda application
etc. (see Menu Bar and Tool Bar in Section 3).
Tree
The main functions of the CodaAdmin software are organized in a tree structure, described below.
The present structure of the tree in the left part of the window consists of the following categories:
•
•
•
•
•
VTIcoda System Administration
VTIcoda Catalogs
Hardware Configuration
Start/Stop Test Run - Calibration
Testrun List
FIGURE 3-3: VTICODA TREE STRUCTURE
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Display Window
The right part of the window serves as display and dialog box for system configuration, test
definition, and test run details.
FIGURE 3-4: VTICODA DISPLAY WINDOW
Context Menu
In the Display Window, a context menu can be opened by right-clicking the table in the right part
of the window.
FIGURE 3-5: CONTEXT MENU
The context menu offers the following functions for editing the catalog entry is currently
highlighted by the cursor:
•
•
•
•
New: Select New to add a new line to the table. Enter the desired values into each column and
change to the next tab in order to continue the entries. Entries can be saved by clicking the
icon or by selecting the Update function in the context menu. The new line will then be
saved with the data table.
Update: Clicking Update will save any modifications that have been made.
Rename: To change the column entry for several lines, highlight the lines and right-click the
desired column. Select the Rename function to open the selection list and choose another
value for the lines.
Duplicate: Duplicates the selected channel once by adding one new channel to the
configuration (the new channel becomes visible after refreshing the display).
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•
•
•
Duplicate n: Duplicates the selected channel several times (the number depends on the
number entered in the “Number of new records” dialog window) and adds the new channels
to the configuration (the new channels become visible after refreshing the display).
Delete: Clicking Delete will remove the highlighted line from the data table.
Properties: After selecting a certain channel in the table, click Properties to open a new
window which provides a summary of information (e.g. concerning the selected channel).
Having scrolled through this information, click the Close button to close this window.
MENU BAR AND TOOLBAR FUNCTIONS
FIGURE 3-6: MENU BAR AND TOOLBAR
The CodaAdmin menu bar offers the following menus: File, Data Record, View, Window, and
“?”.
The following icons can be found in the tool bar below the menu bar:
Quit
Terminates the VTIcoda session and exits the program.
Add
Generates a new entry and adds it to the database.
Delete
Deletes the selected database entry.
Commit
Rollback
Manually saves the active database entry. At present, VTIcoda
automatically saves entries that have been made.
Discards the latest action and returns to previous status.
Hide Tree
This function is currently disabled.
Copy Test Run
Copies the currently selected test run (usually in order to paste it and
then modify certain parameters).
Pastes a test run that has been copied before. Note that, before pasting,
it is necessary to select the directory from the tree on the left where the
copied information required.
Starts the CodaListCreator application which prepares the selected
set of data to be exported to MS Excel.
Starts a dialog that allows for the selection of a data set (in MS Excel
format) to be imported into VTIcoda.
Starts the CodaCollect application. Clicking this icon will open a
separate window where a test run can be selected and parameters can
be defined for the measurement(s) to be taken (see the VTIcoda
Collect section for more details).
Starts the CodaAlarm application. Clicking this icon will open a
separate window pan overview of all active alarms and their respective
status regarding alarm limit violations (see the VTIcoda Alarm section
for more details).
Starts the CodaLogViewer application. Clicking this icon will open a
separate window displaying the content of the VTIcoda log file which
the software automatically creates during any operation of VTIcoda
(see the VTIcoda LogViewer section for more details).
Starts the CodaChannelCalculator application. Clicking this icon
will open a separate window displaying the Channel Calculator. This
tool allows for complex channel calculation to be performed right on
the screen (see the VTIcoda Channel Calculator section for more
details).
Paste Test Run
Excel Export
Excel Import
CodaCollect
CodaAlarm
CodaLogViewer
ChannelCalculator
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Scan Hardware
Shunt Calibration
Validate Shunt
Info
Click this icon to have VTIcoda scan the connected measurement
hardware, e.g. to identify new hardware components. This function is
only available if Hardware Configuration has been selected in the tree
structure. Note that this function should only be used if new hardware
has been added or the existing hardware has been modified because
hardware (in the Hardware Configuration tab) must then be
reallocated in the next test run.
Click this icon to perform a shunt calibration on the selected channel.
Click this icon to validate a shunt calibration previously performed on
a channel.
Displays VTIcoda software revision information etc.
File Menu
FIGURE 3-7: FILE MENU
The File menu gives access to the following functions:
•
•
•
Change password: Selecting this menu option opens a dialog window where the current
password can be changed. A password is required to access the database.
Disconnect: Select the Disconnect option to temporarily disconnect from the Oracle database
(e.g. in order to log on the system using a different user name).
Close: Click Close to exit VTIcoda.
Data Record Menu
FIGURE 3-8: DATA RECORD MENU
The following functions of the Data Record menu can also be selected by clicking the relevant
icons in the tool bar.
•
•
•
•
New: The New option is only active if a test run has been selected in the tree. When New is
selected, a new entry appears in the tree in the left part of the window. Enter name and
description in the corresponding fields and save the new data record. The name will appear in
the tree.
Delete: Click the Delete option to remove the selected entry of the tree or the highlighted line
of the data table.
Save: Click Save to save the current data record.
Undo: Click Undo to cancel the last action performed.
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View Menu
FIGURE 3-9: VIEW MENU
•
•
Toolbar: Click the Toolbar option to have the toolbar permanently displayed below the
menu bar. A checkmark next to the option indicates that this feature is active.
Status Bar: Click the Status Bar option to have the status bar permanently displayed at the
bottom of the window. A checkmark next to the option indicates that the feature is active.
Window Menu
FIGURE 3-10: WINDOW MENU
To open a new window, select the New Window option. The new window then appears in the
foreground and can be arranged by the other functions of the Window menu.
•
•
•
•
Cascade: Arranges windows so that they overlap each other.
Tile: Arranges windows as non-overlapping tiles.
Switch window side: Switches between the window panes.
At the bottom end of this menu, a list of the already opened windows is displayed and the
active window is checked.
“?” Menu
FIGURE 3-11: “?” MENU
Click “?” to find information about the installed VTIcoda version (version number and copyright).
Furthermore, the Help option allows the user to open the VTIcoda user manual as a PDF
document for direct access to all important user information in case no manual hardcopy should be
at hand.
HARDWARE DETECTION AND CONFIGURATION
The Hardware Configuration category of the tree shows the last scanned configuration of the
data acquisition hardware.
Click the + symbol next to the Tree item to expand the view and display the next level of
hardware, etc.
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To detect new data acquisition hardware, click the Scan Hardware button (
).
The hardware scanning procedure can be started by the administrator and lists all measurement
hardware connected to the system. Make sure to wait until the hardware scanning procedure has
been completed.
NOTES
1) The scanning procedure should only be executed when the hardware setup has been changed
(i.e. replacing existing hardware or adding new hardware modules).
2) After a hardware scan, the hardware must be reallocated, using the Hardware Configuration
tab, in the next test run. Existing configurations may be deleted by the hardware scanning
procedure.
FIGURE 3-12: HARDWARE CONFIGURATION
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SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION
The System Administration category provides access to administrative functions such as path
settings, catalog administration, and user management.
FIGURE 3-13: VTICODA SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION
User Management
The User Management sub-category allows an administrator to add and remove VTIcoda users
and to administrate their passwords (see Figure 3-13).
To modify the data of an existing user, click the arrow of the Username pull-down list and select
a user name. To change user privileges/rights, go to the user table below and click the privilege
column of the relevant user to select the appropriate group (Administrator or User).
To add a new user to the VTIcoda user database, click the Add user button. Then enter the name
and the privilege group to which the user will be assigned.
To change passwords, select the relevant user before clicking Change password. Then enter the
new password.
To delete an existing user from the VTIcoda user database, select the relevant user before clicking
the Delete user button.
Shutdown Buffer
Select the Shutdown Buffer sub-category to display a window in the right part of the screen that
defines a time frame (in seconds with a maximum of 90) for which VTIcoda creates a special
buffer for measurements to be recorded before/after trigger using the highest sample rate which
can be achieved with the current measurement hardware.
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FIGURE 3-14: SHUTDOWN BUFFER, DEFINITION OF TIME RANGE BEFORE/AFTER TRIGGER
Path Settings
The Path Settings sub-category defines the directories and subdirectories where different types of
data measured with VTIcoda are stored.
FIGURE 3-15: PATH SETTINGS
VTICODA CATALOGS
The VTIcoda Catalogs category provides access to four different groups of database information,
i.e. the Material Catalog, Unit Catalog, Measurement Dimension Catalog, and Group Catalog.
Note that Administrator privileges are required to edit the catalogs described in this section.
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FIGURE 3-16: VTICODA CATALOGS
In order to get a better overview of the list, click on any of three header titles to have VTIcoda sort
the list entries according to the selected header item either in ascending or in descending order.
Editing of Catalog Entries via the Context Menu
In order to edit catalog entries (e.g. add or delete records etc.), right-click into a table in the right
side of the window to open the context menu which offers the following functions:
FIGURE 3-17: CONTEXT MENU
•
New: Select New to add a new line to the table. Enter the desired values into each column and
change to the next tab in order to continue the entries. Save the entries by clicking the
icon or by selecting the Update function in the context menu. Then the new line will be saved
with the data table.
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•
•
•
Rename: To change the column entry for several lines, highlight the lines and click with the
right mouse button into the desired column. Then select the Rename function to open the
selection list and choose another value for the lines.
Delete: Clicking Delete will remove a highlighted line from the data table.
Update: Clicking Update will save the modifications made.
Material Catalog
The Material Catalog provides a list of materials defined by the user as materials which are
repeatedly used as test object materials.
FIGURE 3-18: MATERIAL CATALOG
The relevant values for Young’s modulus and Poisson ratio can be entered for each material.
These are important parameters when defining the mechanical behavior of the material when
subjected to pressure or tension. See Editing of Catalog Entries via the Context Menu in Section 3
for information on how to edit the Material Catalog.
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Unit Catalog
FIGURE 3-19: UNIT CATALOG
The Unit Catalog provides a list of all relevant units that have been defined in VTIcoda to
quantify and define measurement values. See Editing of Catalog Entries via the Context Menu in
Section 3 for information on how to edit the Unit Catalog.
Measurement Dimensions Catalog
The Measurement Dimensions Catalog provides a list of all measurement dimensions that have
been defined in VTIcoda for use when defining, running and analyzing tests. The Measurement
Dimensions Catalog is also used as basis for the Units Catalog.
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See Editing of Catalog Entries via the Context Menu in Section 3 for information on how to edit
the Measurement Dimensions Catalog.
FIGURE 3-20: VTICODA MEASUREMENT DIMENSIONS CATALOG
Group Catalog
When working with large numbers of channels, it may be useful to define certain channels as a
group. The Group Catalog provides a list of all groups that have been defined in VTIcoda.
Channels can be assigned to groups in the Signals tab of the Test Run List window.
See Editing of Catalog Entries via the Context Menu in Section 3 for information on how to edit
the group catalog.
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FIGURE 3-21: VTICODA GROUP CATALOG
START/STOP TEST RUN - CALIBRATION
Select the Start/Stop Test Run - Calibration sub-category to start or stop a test run or to
calibrate the measurement hardware prior to making a test run.
FIGURE 3-22: START/STOP TEST RUN
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In the Test Run list, VTIcoda provides a list of all defined test runs that have not been started yet.
NOTE
Please note that a test run can be started several times in case of minor configuration changes. If
major changes are made, it is recommended that the test run be copied and saved under a new
name.
Select a test run and then click Start to start the selected test run. This will automatically start four
CodaSample.exe processes as well as a CodaAlarm process.
Click the Master reset button to immediately stop the current measurement and to reset the
measurement status in the database.
To stop a test run which is running, click Stop.
To start a zero measurement, click Zero Measurement.
NOTE
Make that all test run editing operations are saved before starting a zero measurement.
The Current status field in the center of the window shown above indicates the current test run
status:
RUNNING
INITIALIZE
IDLE
CALIBRATING
STOPPING
VTIcoda data acquisition is running
Test run is being started
No measurement/calibration is active
Calibration is being performed
VTIcoda data acquisition is being stopped
The diagram below shows the time structure of a typical measurement taken with VTIcoda.
FIGURE 3-23: VTICODA GROUP CATALOG
Calibration
The calibration section of the Start/Stop Test Run - Calibration window allows the connected
data acquisition hardware (i.e. the data acquisition modules listed in the Tree) to be calibrated.
Select the desired options by clicking the relevant field(s) before clicking the Calibrate button to
start the calibration procedure. The large window in the middle of the screen will display the result
log of the calibration after the calibration procedure has been completed.
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•
•
•
•
•
•
Selftest instrument: Select Selftest instrument to perform a self-test on the VT1529A/B by
running the VT1422A self-test. This self-test checks much of the basic functionality of the
VT1529A/B.
Selftest instrument remote: Select Selftest instrument remote to perform a calibration of
the VT1529A/B by running the VT1422A remote calibration command. The calibration
sequence checks the results for reasonable values and reports errors.
CalChan: This function corrects offset and gain errors for each module channel. The internal
current sources are also calibrated. This calibration function compensates for thermal offsets
and components drifts for each channel at the input side of the Signal Conditioning Plug-On
(SCP).
CalZero: This function quickly compensates for any short-term A/D converter offset drift.
This feature is equivalent to the auto-zero function of conventional voltmeters.
CalChanTare: This function can be used to correct for voltage offsets in external system
wiring.
CalChanRemote: Corrects for gain and offset errors in each channel of a Remote Signal
Conditioning unit.
TEST RUN LIST
This sub-category provides access to all test runs (i.e. signal configurations) previously defined in
VTIcoda. It is also used to define new test runs by simply saving an existing test run under a
different name and then editing the necessary parameters, and to delete test runs.
Creating a New Test Run
To create a new test run, select the Testrun List item in the tree and click the Add button (
in the toolbar. A new, empty test run mask will now be created and displayed.
)
FIGURE 3-24: CREATING A NEW TEST RUN
By default, this new test run is named New Entry. To change the test run name, go to the Testrun
name field and enter a different name which best describes the new test run.
After renaming the test run, refresh the tree display by clicking the Testrun List item in the tree
again. A new, empty test run should now be seen in the test run list.
In the Description entry field, enter a short text description that describes the test run, such as the
purpose of the new test run.
Next, add as many channels as is need in the new test run. To do so, right-click in the large empty
area to open the context menu and select the New entry. This will create a new channel in the test
run.
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FIGURE 3-25: ADDING CHANNELS TO A TEST RUN
After creating a new test run and associating channels, define the individual parameters of each
channel. To allocate a channel (e.g. to a certain group), double-click the empty field of this
channel in the Group column to open a pull-down list that offers all groups that have been
previously defined in the VTIcoda Catalogs/Groups section. Select an appropriate group.
As it is not possible to show all signal parameters on one screen, the signal parameters are
organized in tabs. The first three columns are identical in all tabs so that each channel can be
identified by a channel number, the channel label (description) and the group to which the channel
is assigned. The filter function allows the groups to be to filtered as needed (see previous section).
The test run definition window is used to define the different parameters for each channel. Each
tab summarizes one group of the following parameters: Hardware configuration, Signals,
Alarms, Strain Gage, Temperature balancing, Shunt calibration.
FIGURE 3-26: TEST RUN TABS
Copy a Test Run
New test runs are often not defined using an empty data record table, but using an already defined
test run. This already existing test run configuration will be copied, saved to another name and can
then be modified.
Click the Copy Test Run icon (
will be copied.
) while the cursor in the test run tree highlights the test run that
Move the cursor to the Testrun List item. Notice that the Paste Test Run icon (
is not active.
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Click the Paste Test Run icon (
) to add a new entry to the Test Run List. This new entry is by
default initially given the name New entry. To rename the new test run, place the cursor in the
Testrun name entry field and overwrite the name New entry with the preferred test run name.
Once the Testrun List display is refreshed, the new name appears.
NOTE
Test run names should not include any special characters as this may lead to problems when
VTIcoda later attempts to automatically create file and/or directory names based on test run
names!
Now the new (copied and renamed) test run can be modified as needed (see Hardware
Configuration in Section 3).
Selecting a Test Run
To view the existing test runs, click the + symbol next to Testrun List to expand the tree.
VTIcoda will now display in the tree the list of stored test runs.
FIGURE 3-27: TEST RUN LIST
Select the test run whose test run configuration will be displayed (e.g. “Quarter-Bridge (120)” in
the example shown above).
VTIcoda will now open up a window which provides access to the test run configuration (see
Hardware Configuration in Section 3). Below the basic test run information found in the upper
section of the screen (e.g. test run name, description, filter criteria such as group and transducer
ID), the main window holds a multitude of test run configuration data that, by default, are sorted
by channel number.
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FIGURE 3-28: DISPLAY OF TEST RUN DATA
Filtering Function
The filtering function can be found in the header of the test run list window on the right. This can
be applied to all tabs of the test run definition:
FIGURE 3-29: HEADER OF THE TEST RUN LIST WINDOW
The Filter allows individual channel groups to be filtered out. Before the filter can be used, groups
must be defined in the Groups Catalog, and, in the Signals tab, each signal must be connected to
a channel.
All signals of a logical address can be summarized to a group and after a test run the signals of this
group can be filtered.
Hardware Configuration
Use the Hardware configuration tab to define parameters that are relevant to the measuring
hardware of each channel. The header displays the name of the test run and gives a short
description.
In the data table of the Hardware configuration tab, the following columns are found:
•
•
Channel: Use the Channel column to assign a number to each channel. Any number can be
sleected—the numbers do not need to follow an ascending or descending order. However, the
same number may not be assigned twice.
Label: Use the Label column to assign a label (description) to each channel. This label can
consist of numbers and letters. It should be a unique label, assigned only for one channel and
entered in this tab.
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
NOTE
Group: Each channel can be assigned to a user-defined group. Double-click in the Group
field of any channel to display the pull-down list of available groups and select the desired
group. Use the Group Catalog (see Group Catalog in Section 3) to define the required
groups.
Host: The ID of the host computer which is connected to the mainframe. It is possible to
connect VTIcoda to several mainframes via several PCs.
Mainframe: The ID of the mainframe that houses the measurement hardware modules.
Instrument: Description of the hardware module to which the signal is connected.
Board: Description of the hardware module port to which the signal is connected.
Sample Rate: The default sample rate for scanning signals is set to 48 Hz. Future
applications may allow for a user-defined setting of sample rates.
Filter (available sample filter edge frequencies depend on connected hardware): Enter the
filter edge frequency of the hardware (2 Hz, 10 Hz, 200 Hz, Off)
AD Meas. Range (available values depend on connected hardware): A measurement range of
the AD transducer in use can be assigned to each channel (±0.0625, ±0.25, ±1, ± 4, ±16,
Auto).
Zero Measuring: Enable or disable the zero measuring channel-wise
Excitation: Required only for EX1629 modules to define internal supply voltage, specified in
volts (e.g. 5 V)
Excitation on: Activates or inactivates the internal supply voltage specified in the
“Excitation” field (Yes/No). When using an EX1629, this parameter can be used to switch
Excitation on or off for each individual channel. When using a VT1529 and high-voltage
channels, as soon one of the channels is set to Excitation ON or OFF, all channels of this
VT1529 will automatically be set to Excitation ON or OFF.
To sort any table column in ascending or descending order, left-click the header of the column of
interest. A small arrow will appear next to the column table and will show whether the order is in
ascending or descending.
To quickly change a single parameter to the same value for multiple channels, mark the channels
by holding the Shift button and selecting the channels with a mouse-click. Then, select/enter the
new value for all marked channels.
To save the previous entries, click the Update function of the context menu.
Signals
Use the Signals tab to determine which measurement is made using which channel: define the
signal that will measure which variable, the unit of measure, and what channel will be assigned to
which group.
NOTE
To define a calculating channel, the measurement dimension FUNCTION must be selected.
The signals can be assigned to groups. These groups can later be filtered (e.g. the signals of one
measuring board can be filtered out of all signals).
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FIGURE 3-30: SIGNALS TAB
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Channel: The channel numbers displayed here are identical to the channel number entered in
the Hardware configuration tab.
Label: The label descriptions displayed here are identical to the label description defined in
the Hardware configuration tab.
Group: The group assignments displayed here are identical to the group assignment defined
in the Hardware configuration tab. The available groups are defined in the Group Catalog
(see Group Catalog in Section 3).
Unit: Use the Unit column to determine the unit of the signal. The available units have been
defined in the Unit Catalog (see Unit Catalog in Section 3).
Range Min. and Range Max.: In the Range Min. and Range Max. columns, enter the
physical measurement range (e.g. 0 °C - 35 °C). Make sure that the Range Max. value is
greater than zero!
Transducer: This column is used to determine the transducer type used for this channel.
Double-click in the transducer type entry field to open a window showing a list of available
transducer types which can be selected.
Calculated channel: VTIcoda allows for virtual channels to be defined without a transducer
being connected, so-called calculation channels. Calculation channels are available that can
use data acquisition signals, real-time strain values and digital I/O from the control system.
Calculation channels use mathematical formulas which can easily be created by the VTIcoda
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•
•
•
•
NOTE
User Defined Resistor: This entry field can be used to specify a user-defined resistor for the
bridge completion.
Temp. Ch.: Description of the temperature channel, if temperature compensation is required.
The temperature channel defined here has to exist as a separate channel in the channel list,
alternatively a voltage channel (Transducer = Voltage Input) with its output calibrated to °C
can be used (5 V corresponds to 20 °C).
Data acquisition must be stopped before defining a signal configuration or modifying the active
signal configuration!
•
•
•
•
•
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Channel Calculator module (see Starting the Channel Calculator in Section 6). Principal
stress calculation will be available in offline calculations. For rosette calculations, bridge A,
B, and C will be indicated.
Transducer ID: This is an ID to assist the user to group his transducers, e. g. to give all the
channels of a rosette the same transducer ID. This transducer ID can be used later for filtering
purposes using the filter functionality at the bottom of the window.
Transducer Opt.: This column is used to select the transducer option. Double-click in the
transducer option entry field to open a window showing a list of available transducer:
Formula: Name of formula used for calculation channels.
VR min.: Minimum voltage range for high voltage channels (original measured value
indicated in volts, range 0 V – 10 V).
VR max.: Maximum voltage range for high voltage channels (original measured value
indicated in volts, range 0 V – 10 V).
Polarity: Define the polarity (positive or negative). This parameter is effective only for
high/low voltage or strain, but not for gage 1, gage 2, gage 3, temperature, etc.
Sensitivity: Define the sensitivity for low voltage channels.
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Alarms
In the Alarms tab, alarm limits can be defined for all signals to be measured.
FIGURE 3-31: ALARMS TAB
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Channel: The channel numbers displayed here are identical to the channel number entered in
the Hardware configuration tab.
Label: The label descriptions displayed here are identical to the label description defined in
the Hardware configuration tab.
Group: The group assignments displayed here are identical to the group assignment defined
in the Hardware configuration tab. The available groups are defined in the Group Catalog
(see Group Catalog in Section 3).
Range Min. and Range Max.: The Range Min. and Range Max. columns display the
measurement range which was defined for each measurement channel in the Signals tab.
Alarm min.: Use the Alarm min. column to define the lower alarm limit for this channel.
Hysteresis min.: Hysteresis for the minimum alarm level. A noisy signal which violates the
alarm level and then oscillates around the alarm level only once triggers the alarm message
within the hysteresis band.
Alarm max.: Use the Alarm max. column to define the higher alarm limit for this channel.
Hysteresis max.: Hysteresis for the maximum alarm level. A noisy signal which violates the
alarm level and then oscillates around the alarm level only once triggers the alarm message
within the hysteresis band.
Alarm min. active and Alarm max. active: Use the Alarm min. active and Alarm max.
active columns to activate or deactivate the alarm limits. Select No to deactivate the
corresponding alarm limit. Select Yes to activate it.
Excitation Lower Limit: Enter the lower limit of the excitation voltage. An alarm will be
triggered whenever the excitation voltage falls below the value specified here.
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Dig. Output Channel: Depending on the connected hardware, VTIcoda allows for groups of
8 digital channels (not individual channels) to be used as output channels instead of input
channels. These output channels can be used e.g. to define certain events to be triggered when
a minimum or maximum alarm level has been exceeded (using Set Dig. High and Set Dig.
Low).
Set Dig. High: In the selection field Set Digital Output High, the event that will cause the
digital output channel to be set high is defined. Click this field to open a list from which to
select the appropriate occasion (Alarm Max, Alarm Min, Alarm MinMax, In Limit).
Set Dig. Low: In the selection field Set Digital Output Low, the event that will casue the
digital output channel to be set low (reset) is defined. Click this field to open a list from which
to select the appropriate occasion (Alarm Max, Alarm Min, Alarm MinMax, In Limit).
The active alarm limits are monitored in the Alarms module of the VTIcoda software.
VTIcoda creates a log file each time an alarm is triggered. The alarm window starts automatically
if an alarm occurs. Each LED button represents one channel. The LED color shows the status of
each channel. With a mouse click on the LED, the channel status is displayed as text information
in the message line at the bottom of the screen.
For more information on this program part please refer to Section 9: VTIcoda Alarm.
Strain Gage
FIGURE 3-32: STRAIN GAGE TAB
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Channel: The channel numbers displayed here are identical to the channel number entered in
the Hardware configuration tab.
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Label: The label descriptions displayed here are identical to the label description defined in
the Hardware configuration tab.
Group: The group assignments displayed here are identical to the group assignment defined
in the Hardware configuration tab. The available groups are defined in the Group Catalog
(see chapter Group Catalog in Section 3).
Excitation voltage: The measured (unstrained) excitation voltage is a parameter which is
measured before taking any “real” measurements.
Gage factor: Enter the gage factor of the strain gage (x, y) connected to this channel.
Lead wire resistance: Enter the lead wire resistance value.
Zero measurement value: Enter the zero measurement value for the relevant channel. Zero
measurements are used to determine the excitation voltage of a sensor.
Temperature Balancing
If the temperature in the measurement environment leads to deviations in the voltage
measurements, this can be corrected by means of the Temperature Balancing function. On each
package of strain gages, the coefficients of a thermal output polynomial and the percent variation
of the gage factor with temperature can be found. These values should be entered in the table
shown below.
All temperature values must be referenced to °C.
FIGURE 3-33: TEMPERATURE BALANCING TAB
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Channel: The channel numbers displayed here are identical to the channel number entered in
the Hardware configuration tab.
Label: The label descriptions displayed here are identical to the label description defined in
the Hardware configuration tab.
Group: The group assignments displayed here are identical to the group assignment defined
in the Hardware configuration tab. The available groups are defined in the Group Catalog
(see Group Catalog in Section 3).
Active: This column can be used to select from the pull-down list whether or not temperature
balancing feature shall be active for the relevant channel.
Gage Fact. Temp. Var.: The gage factor temperature variation (indicated in %) is only
displayed for information purposes here - see Strain gage tab)
Ref. Temperature: The temperature value to be used as reference temperature for VTIcoda
to calculate a correct temperature balancing offset.
Temperature expansion coefficient material: Enter the temperature expansion coefficient
of the material/object under test. VTIcoda will use the value entered here to calculate a
correct temperature balancing offset.
Temperature expansion coefficient gage: Enter the temperature expansion coefficient of the
strain gage used. VTIcoda will use the value entered here to calculate a correct
temperature balancing offset.
Polynomial 1 to n: Enter the polynomial coefficients for the temperature compensation.
Shunt Calibration
The Shunt Calibration feature can be used to check whether the connected measurement tools are
stable and able to compensate for instabilities.
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Click the Shunt Calibration icon (
) to start a shunt calibration procedure. Depending on the
number of channels connected, this procedure will require a certain amount of time.
VTIcoda first measures the excitation voltage of the bridge connected to the active channel.
VTIcoda then performs a zero measurement (bridge voltage without shunt).
VTIcoda finally measures the bridge voltage with a shunt.
After completing these measurements, VTIcoda enters the results of the above measurements in
the relevant columns of the table shown below.
FIGURE 3-34: SHUNT CALIBRATION TAB
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Channel: The channel numbers displayed here are identical to the channel number entered in
the Hardware configuration tab.
Label: The label descriptions displayed here are identical to the label description defined in
the Hardware configuration tab.
Group: The group assignments displayed here are identical to the group assignment defined
in the Hardware configuration tab. The available groups are defined in the Group Catalog
(see Group Catalog in Section 3).
Zero Measurement: Displays the result of the bridge voltage measurement without shunt
resistance connected. The values are converted to strain (unit: me)
Stored: Displays the result value last stored.
Excitation Voltage: Displays the value of the excitation voltage.
Lead wire resistance: Displays the lead wire resistance calculated from the measurements
for this channel.
Source: Indicates whether an internal or an external shunt resistor has been used for the shunt
calibration measurement.
Resistor: Indicates the value of the resistor used for the shunt calibration measurement
(resistance value depends on the connected hardware).
Tolerance (%): The tolerance (indicated in %) should be specified by the testing personnel.
Expected: Displays the expected value of voltage (based on a theoretical calculation using the
bridge equation), transferred to the strain unit (see Result value).
Result value: Displays the result of the shunt calibration measurement, indicated in
microstrain (unit: me).
Difference: The difference shown here in % is the “Stored” value (if existing - otherwise the
“Expected” value is used) deducted from the “Result value”.
Result status: This field indicates whether or not the shunt calibration has been successful
(“Passed” or “Failed”). A shunt calibration is classified as “Failed” if the absolute
“Difference” value exceeds the “Tolerance” value. VTIcoda will also notify the user in case a
sensor has been identified as defective.
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Clicking the Validate Shunt icon (
) will cause VTIcoda to automatically transfer the shunt
calibration results (lead wire resistances) for ALL channels to the database and save the “Result
values” as new “Stored values”.
WARNING!
Only use the Validate Shunt function after it is certain that the calibration results on all channels
are satisfactory, otherwise, incorrect values will be transferred to the database.
TERMINATING VTICODA ADMIN
To terminate the VTIcoda Admin, either select Close in the File menu, or click the
NOTES
icon.
1) Before exiting the VTIcoda Admin, make sure that all data acquisition processes have been
terminated.
2) It will not be possible to start the VTIcoda Admin again if any data acquisition processes
(multiple processes) from the last VTIcoda session are still active.
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SECTION 4
VTICODA VIEW
INTRODUCTION
The VTIcoda View program part is used to display the test run channels using different display
types. It can also be specified that the current values be displayed in tabular form. The displayed
data can be online data as well as offline data in design-type diagrams.
To start the VTIcoda View program, double-click the
icon on the desktop.
FIGURE 4-1: VTICODA VIEWER
The normal procedure when working with the VTIcoda Viewer is to either Select a View Definition (to view measurement data using an existing view definition) or to first create a new
definition by selecting Change View Definition (to view measurement data using a view
definition that does not exist yet) and modify an existing view definition according to test needs.
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MAIN WINDOW
FIGURE 4-2: VTICODA VIEW MAIN WINDOW
The VTIcoda View main window includes a menu bar and an icon bar. On the left side there is a
tree with several branches for the different view configurations to be defined and selected. The
content of the window on the right side depends on the configuration item selected in the tree.
In addition to the standard Windows functions, the menu bar includes the selection of the data
record. Data records can be taken from the Online Server (online data), or from the long time data
storage.
MENU BAR AND TOOL BAR
FIGURE 4-3: MENU BAR AND TOOLBAR
The menu bar shows the main menus File, Data Record, View, and “?”.
Below the menu bar, the following icons are available in the tool bar:
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Exit
Ends the VTIcoda session and exits the program.
New
Creates a new view definition
Delete
Removes the selected data record
Save
Saves the active data record
Info
Displays VTIcoda program information. Provides access to the VTIcoda manual in
PDF format
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FILE MENU
FIGURE 4-4: FILE MENU
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Log Off: If there is a need to connect the VTIcoda system to another Oracle database other
than the one it is currently connected to, it is necessary to log off from the current database.
This is done by selecting the Log Off entry. After logging off, the File menu changes to offer
a Log In Database option. Select Log In Database to open a dialog window that will allow a
different database to be selected. To log on to any database, it will also be necessary to enter
any password that is associated with the database.
Printer Settings: Opens a window for selecting and setting up a printer.
Snapshot: Opens the CodaCollect program which generates snapshot measurements for the
system check. For further information concerning this program please refer to Section 8:
VTIcoda Collect.
Exit: Click Exit to quit the program.
DATA RECORD MENU
FIGURE 4-5: DATA RECORD MENU
The options of the Data Record menu can also be selected by clicking the icons in the tool bar.
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New: Clicking the New option (function is active only if the Change View Definition branch
is selected in the tree section on the left of the screen) creates a new entry that appears in the
tree within the View Definition category. Enter a name and a description into the
corresponding fields and save the new data record. Then the new view name will now appear
in the tree.
Delete: Clicking the Delete option (function is active only if a view definition has been
selected in the Change View Definition branch in the tree section) removes the selected entry
from the tree.
Save: Clicking Save saves the new data record. A new entry will appear in the tree.
Choose Data Source: Clicking the Choose Data Source option allows for the database
source to be selected. For more information, please refer to Choosing the Data Source in
Section 4.
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VIEW MENU
FIGURE 4-6: VIEW MENU
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Task Bar: Click the Task Bar option to display the task bar. A checkmark will appear next
to the active option. To deactivate the task bar display, click the option again.
Status Bar: Click the Status Bar option to display the status bar. A checkmark will appear
next to the active option. To deactivate the status bar display, click the option again.
Select Color Configuration..., to modify the general color configuration. The diagram
specific color settings can also be defined in the context menu of the graphics. The color
settings are described in detail in Color Configuration in this section.
Minimum/Maximum Change: When selected, the software shows in alternating manner the
traces of the minimum values and the maximum values of a graph. This type of display
changes between the minimum and maximum amplitude of the test data in one second
intervals. Thus, peaks of the graph that were reduced or may have disappeared due to the
averaging of the measurement values may be recognized, which is necessary for the screen
display.
Minimum View: Due to the high sample rate used in most of the tests, each point of a
measurement diagram often displays an average of several measurement points. When the
Minimum View function is selected, the software displays the minimum values of the
measurement diagram instead of the averaged values.
Maximum View: When Maximum View function is selected, the software displays the
maximum values of the measurement diagram instead of the averaged values.
Status information: This window provides information regarding current system status. It
states the data source in use, the state of the data acquisition process, and displays a list of the
VTIcoda Online Server messages. The new, current messages of the servers immediately
appear in a pop-up window and are later listed in the status information window.
Color Configuration
Different colors for different elements of the graphics and listing areas can be defined using the
Color Configuration function. The available color range depends on the graphics card in use and
on the screen resolution.
Open the Color Selection window by selecting the Color Configuration function in the View
menu.
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FIGURE 4-7: COLOR SELECTION WINDOW
Open the selection field in the lower part of the window to choose the element (e.g. background)
that will be changed. The current color setting will be shown in the “Color/Basis” field.
Select a new color of the “Basic Colors” or of the color selection field. The chosen color will be
shown in the “Color/Basis” window. Click OK and the color will be connected to the selected
element. Click Abort to return to the former color. The window will then close.
To add a new color to the color range of user defined colors, click the Add to User Colors button.
The new color will be displayed in a tile of the “User Colors” area.
This allows the user to assign different colors to the graphic elements of the diagram, such as
measurement channel, marker, axis, etc.
If a very dark or very light color was chosen for the background, the colors for the diagrams adapt
automatically so that the traces of the measurement diagrams can still be recognized.
“?” MENU
FIGURE 4-8: “?” MENU
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About VTIcoda...: This option provides informational about the VTIcoda version installed
(version number and copyright).
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Help: This option offers a link to the electronic version of the VTIcoda user manual (PDF
document).
VIEW DEFINITIONS
Before the display of the measurement diagrams can be enabled, a view definition must be
selected. The normal procedure when working with the VTIcoda Viewer is to either Select View
Definition (to view measurement data using an existing view definition) or to initially create a
view definition.
Create New View Definition
To create a new view definition, click the Change View Definition category in the tree on the left
of the screen, then click the (
) icon or choose the New Data Record function in the Data
Record menu. The header “Change View Definition, New Entry” appears in the main right part of
the window.
Enter a name for the new view definition in the Name field (e.g. EX1048_1), then click the
Insert! button. The new name will appear in the header line and the Add Channel and Remove
Channel buttons will be activated. The tree shows the new view name “EX1048_1” in the
Change View Definition category.
FIGURE 4-9: CREATE NEW VIEW DEFINITION
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Next, select a test run from the Testrun pull-down list as well as a display type from the Design
pull-down list. After creating and naming the new view, determine which channels will be
included in the new view.
Add Channel
Click the Add Channel! button to select the channels that will be displayed in this view
definition. The New Channel window opens.
FIGURE 4-10: ADDING CHANNELS FOR THE VIEW DEFINITION
The left part of this window lists all available channel groups. As soon as the desired group is
selected, the center part of the window displays the list of all Transducer IDs belonging to the
selected group. Mark the desired Transducer ID by a mouse click and the third part of the window
will display a list of the available channels (only those channels are listed here that have been configured in the test run selected before). Choose the desired channel, define its view parameters in
the line below the columns, and click the Add button. Then select further channels, as required.
When all channels have been selected for the View Definition, click the Close button. All channel
definitions which were passed to the clipboard will now be written to the View Definition table.
NOTES
VTIcoda View
1) Hold the Ctrl button and click with the left mouse button to pick several single channels.
2) Hold the Shift button and click with the left mouse button to select several channels in a
row. With the first click, select the first channel of the row and with the second click, select
the last channel.
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If a channel needs to be added after defining the view, simply click the Add Channel button and
select the missing channel in the window as described above. Then click the Close button. The
channel will then be listed in the table.
The next step will be to pre-define some important view parameters.
Presetting the View Parameters
FIGURE 4-11: PRESETTING THE VIEW PARAMETERS
In the selection fields displayed at the bottom of the window, a number of view parameters (e.g. in
which position of which window the channel shall be displayed; which type of diagram shall be
used; and whether the scaling shall be logarithmic or linear) can be defined. Furthermore, it is
possible to define whether the measurement values of the channel will be displayed along the x- or
y-axis and whether automatic scaling is enabled.
If several channels are selected, they will be assigned automatically to the preset window and
diagram type. The position will also be numbered automatically.
NOTE
If more than eight channels are selected for one window, double traces will appear in the diagram
(not true for displays >64 channels). It is possible to correct this error later in the channel table.
Channel Groups (View Definitions)
Under each test run shown in the tree display, the channel groups (view definitions) that have been
assigned to a test run (e.g. “VXI_and_LXI” and “VXIonly” in the example shown below) can be
seen.
FIGURE 4-12: VIEW DEFINITIONS ASSIGNED TO A TEST RUN
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Adding Channels of Several Groups
Channels of several test runs can be selected for a view. To do so chose the channels of one test
run and click the Add button. The channel data are passed to the clipboard. Switch to another
group, select the desired channels and click the Add button. These channel data will be added to
the data which were already passed to the clipboard. After selecting the required channels, click
the Close button. All selected channels will now be listed in the View Definition table. The entries
for the channel display, such as the window position and the diagram type, can be corrected here
by editing the fields of the table.
Deleting Channels
To delete a channel, highlight its line in the table and click the Delete Channel button.
Number of Charts Displayed
As soon as the channels are listed, the “Number of Charts Displayed” selection field offers 1, 4, 8,
and 16.
Now, select how the number of charts to display on the screen. A maximum of 16 diagrams per
screen page can be selected. When the “Number of Charts Displayed” is modified, the Update!
button appears next to the test name. Click this button to save the database modifications.
Table/Diagram Selection
If Diagram is selected, the desired online values are displayed in diagrams. See the following
section for a description of available diagram types (“Types”).
If Table is selected, the desired online values are displayed in tables.
One charts (1 – 16) and one position (1 – 8) must be selected.
The assignment of the channels to charts is not changed, the channels of one chart are displayed in
a table.
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The Screen View Channel Table
FIGURE 4-13: SCREEN VIEW CHANNEL TABLE
The selected channels are listed in a table with the following columns:
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NOTE
Label: The “Label” column states the channel label. The channel label has been defined in
the “Hardware Configuration” tab.
Group: The group column states the group to which the channel was assigned in the Hardware Configuration. The Label and Group column fields are the only ones which can not be
edited.
Chart: The “Chart” column indicates the screen diagram where the trace will appear. Up to
eight traces can be displayed in one chart. The x-axis serves as time axis and all channel
traces are displayed as y-axis values. For more information on window numbering, please
refer to Arranging the Channel Diagrams in Section 4
If several channels are going to be displayed in a window, the same diagram must be assigned to
each channel. Either linear or logarithmic scaling can be selected.
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Position: The “Position” column indicates a trace’s position on the y-axis relative to the other
y-axis. This is determined by assigning a number to the trace. Position 1 is the y-axis next to
diagram. Further positions of the y-axis are numbered from the right to the left.
Type: The “Type” column indicates the diagram type that will be sued to display the
measurement values.
The following diagram types are available:
o
o
o
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Diagram (measurement values are shown in a standard diagram with x-axis and y-axis)
Tacho diagram (measurement values are shown in a tachometer-like display)
Bar diagram (measurement values are displayed in a vertical bar diagram)
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o
o
o
Horizontal Bar diagram (measurement values are displayed in a horizontal bar diagram)
Multi Min-Max (displays the minimum and maximum values of up to 64 channels)
OneYAxis (displays the minimum and maximum measurement values of more than
8 channels in one diagram; make sure that all channels have the same unit, otherwise an
error message will come up).
When adding channels to a view definition, VTIcoda will first start to fill up empty room in the
first chart (if existing) until the maximum number of charts defined for this view has been reached.
VTIcoda will then read in the remaining channels in a new, free chart.
The picture below shows the first four diagrams types (diagram, tachometer, bar, horizontal bar).
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Axis: The “Axis” column is used to select axis assignment. By default, the x-axis serves as
relative time axis and the values of the y-axis refer to the values of the time axis. As an
alternative a channel can also be displayed along the x-axis and the other channels along the
y-axis refer to this x-axis.
lin/log: The “lin/log” column defines whether linear or logarithmic scaling is used on the
axis.
Autoscale: If is Yes, VTIcoda automatically optimizes the y-axis scaling. The manual scaling
values are still listed, but disabled.
Min Scale: In the “Min-Scale” column, the minimum value of the y-axis scale is defined.
Max Scale: In the “Max-Scale” column, the maximum value of the y-axis scale is defined.
Min. Pred. Start: The Minimum Prediction Start field displays the minimum start value for
the predicted strain of the selected channel (see Strain Prediction section below).
Min. Pred. End: The Minimum Prediction End field displays the minimum end value for the
predicted strain of the selected channel (see Strain Prediction section below).
Max. Pred. Start: The Maximum Prediction Start field displays the maximum start value for
the predicted strain of the selected channel (see Strain Prediction section below).
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Max. Pred. End: The Maximum Prediction End field displays the maximum end value for
the predicted strain of the selected channel (see Strain Prediction section below).
The number of view definitions is not limited. Every view definition gets a user-defined name and
is listed in the tree on the left side of the display.
The alarm limits are imported from the Signal Configuration tab in the VTIcoda Admin part of the
software. In the diagram these limits are displayed as dashed lines in the color of the corresponding channel.
Copy View Definition
New view definitions can be easily be created by copying an existing view definition and saving it
under a new name. Select Copy View Definition to open the dialog window shown below.
FIGURE 4-14: COPY VIEW DEFINITION SCREEN
To copy a view definition, select the view definition that will be copied, enter a name for the new
view definition in the entry field shown above, and then click the Copy as button.
The new view definition has now been created and can be selected under the Change View
Definition category of the tree (the displayed list may have to be refreshed before the new view
definition appears).
Select View Definition
In the tree structure on the left, click the + symbol next to the Select View Definition item to open
the list of existing view definitions. Then select the view definition that will be used for the
display of data.
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Please note that in online operation, only the test run branch of the currently active test will be
displayed in the tree. The branch of the active test run displays all view definitions that have been
defined for this test.
Strain Prediction
VTIcoda offers the possibility to predict the strain expected on a certain channel. The predicted
strain values (minimum/maximum start/end values) are listed in the channel table columns as
described above.
A clear graphical representation of these strain predictions is available in the Diagram display type
mode for the relevant test run and view definition. After selecting the appropriate test run and
view definition, the following screen will be displayed:
FIGURE 4-15: GRAPHICAL DISPLAY OF STRAIN PREDICTION
Please note that limit values are not displayed for those channels which have a strain prediction.
Context Menu
When the right window pane of the View Channel Table is right-clicked, the context menu
appears. It offers the following options:
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New: Click New to open the “New Channel” window where a new channel can be added as
described in the previous chapter.
Delete: Clicking the Delete button will remove the channel highlighted in the View
Definition.
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CHOOSING THE DATA SOURCE
Select the Choose Data Source... function in the Data Record menu. As a default the Online
Data function is checked and the software displays the current measurement values.
FIGURE 4-16: DATA SOURCE: DEFAULT SETTING – “ONLINE DATA”
Unchecking Online Data enlarges the window and additional functions are offered which allows
the user to select historical (stored) measurement data for display in the Viewer.
FIGURE 4-17: SELECTING THE DATA SOURCE
Click the Browse... button to locate the historical that will be displayed. By default, this data is
located in ...\xxi_data\ on the PC that is running VTIcoda Admin. In this directory, VTIcoda
creates subdirectories for each test run, named UTCyyyymmdd, the last 8 digits indicating the
year, month and day when this test run was stored.
The time interval of a saved file can be determined by clicking the Display Available
Measurement Values button. After doing this, VTIcoda checks the defined channel labels to see
which appear in the specified measurement data file. In the lower part of the window a list of all
channels which were measured in the given time interval will be displayed. The display of these
available channels may take some time.
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When OK is clicked, VTIcoda will extract the available measurement values and transfer the data
to the screen graphics display
ARRANGING THE CHANNEL DIAGRAMS
FIGURE 4-18: ARRANGEMENT OF THE CHANNEL DIAGRAMS
The display in the upper part of the window changes with the number of charts displayed per
screen page:
FIGURE 4-19: SETTING THE NUMBER OF CHARTS IN THE DISPLAY WINDOW
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If “1” is selected in the Charts section, defining that individual diagrams shall be displayed,
the Chart number bar shows two rows of buttons which are numbered from 1 to 16. These
buttons select the desired diagram.
If “4” (see picture above) is selected, the Chart number bar shows buttons to select groups of
four diagrams (e.g. charts 1 - 4 or 5 - 8 etc.).
If “8” is selected, the Chart number bar shows buttons to select groups of eight diagrams (e.g.
charts 1 - 8 or 9 - 16 etc.).
If “16” is selected, the above Chart number bar will disappear and all 16 diagrams will be
shown in blocks of four on one screen page.
If “16R” is selected, the above chart number bar will disappear and all diagrams will be
shown in lines on one screen page.
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If more than one chart is selected for a view, VTIcoda displays the channel diagrams in the
following order:
4 Charts
Chart 1
Chart 3
Chart 2
Chart 4
Chart 1
Chart 3
Chart 5
Chart 7
Chart 2
Chart 4
Chart 6
Chart 8
Chart 1
Chart 3
Chart 9
Chart 11
Chart 2
Chart 4
Chart 10
Chart 12
8 Charts
16 Charts
Chart 5
Chart 7
Chart 13
Chart 15
Chart 6
Chart 8
Chart 14
Chart 16
To display 16 charts in rows, select “16R”. The charts are displayed in the following order:
Chart 1
Chart 5
Chart 9
Chart 13
Chart 2
Chart 6
Chart 10
Chart 14
Chart 3
Chart 7
Chart 11
Chart 15
Chart 4
Chart 8
Chart 12
Chart 16
CONTEXT MENU OF THE GRAPHICS DISPLAY
The context menu of the graphical display offers several functions to modify the graphical display
properties in a rapid manner. The context menu is opened by clicking with the right mouse button
into an area outside the graphics (if Marker Mode is not activated, any place in the graphic area
can be clicked).
FIGURE 4-20: GRAPHICS DISPLAY - CONTEXT MENU
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Separating a Display
When several charts are displayed on the screen, the single charts are often very small. To get a
closer look at a chart, separate it from the others. This will automatically enlarge it. To do so, click
with the right mouse button into the area outside the graphics to open the context menu. Then
select the Separate function.
The chart is now enlarged while still showing online data. The size of the chart can be modified by
clicking the edges of the chart with the left mouse button and holding the button until the edge is
pulled to the desired position.
Diagram Specific Color Settings
The colors of a single diagram (chart) can easily be modified. Select a diagram by means of a left
mouse click and it will be marked by a color frame. Then open the context menu by clicking with
the right mouse button into an area outside the graphics. Select the Diagram Specific Color
Settings function. The “Color Selection” window will open and different colors can be defined for
the each diagram element. For further information on the Color Selection window, please refer to
Color Configuration in Section 4.
Display of Several Channels per Chart
FIGURE 4-21: SINGLE CHART WITH EIGHT CHANNELS DISPLAYED
Up to eight channels can be displayed in one chart.
Thus far, the number of channels that will be displayed per diagram has been defined (see View
Definitions in this section) how many channels shall be displayed per diagram by setting the
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position number for each channel. All channels with the same chart number are displayed in the
same diagram.
Each channel can be displayed in a different color. The color for a channel can be assigned using
the Color Settings function in the View main menu or using the context menu of the diagram. For
further information on the color settings please refer to Color Configuration in this section.
The default setting for the display of several channels in one diagram defines the x-axis as time
axis and up to eight y-axis are assigned to the corresponding channels by their color.
Each y-axis can be individually scaled. Linear or logarithmic scaling can also be selected for each
individual axis.
In the Screen View definition window, the x-axis can also be assigned to a channel.
Then all y-axis are displayed in relation to the measurement dimension of the x-axis.
NOTE
If a diagram has several y axis the channels themselves are only shown in single graphics display!
In the normal smaller display form there mostly is no space for the measurement graph and the
y-axis. Then VTIcoda automatically switches to a display form that only shows one y-axis and the
measurement graphs of all channels. As soon as the diagram is separated, the other y-axis
reappear.
Replay Mode
Replay Mode allows recorded data sequences to be replayed. The Replay mode is only available in
offline operation, which means that the online data function in the “Data Source” window is left
unchecked (please refer to Choosing the Data Source in this section).
Define the memory and the desired time interval as described above. It may take a few seconds to
load the defined offline data.
Then select the Replay function in the context menu to open the replay mode settings window.
FIGURE 4-22: REPLAY MODE SETTINGS
The start and stop time displayed here correspond to the values entered when choosing the data
source. By entering a time factor, the speed that the replay is shown can be modified (the higher
the time factor, the higher the display speed).
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Click the (
) button to replay the data in forward direction.
Click the (
) button to replay the data in backward direction.
Click the (
) button to pause the replay of data.
Click the (
) button to stop the replay of data.
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Axis Scaling
VTIcoda automatically scales the x-axis.
By default, the x-axis is defined as time axis and the size of the time interval displayed depends on
the sample rate and on the size of the buffer memory of the server. Using the maximum sample
rate of 100 Hz, the system can currently display a time interval of about 120 seconds.
The y-axis scaling is preset in the Screen View definition. It is possible to modify the scaling at
any time using the context menu. To open the context menu, click with the right mouse button into
an area outside the graphics.
Then select the Scaling function. The following dialog window opens:
FIGURE 4-23: SCALING WINDOW
The scaling window shows the axis definition which was preset in the View Definition. Now, the
scaling parameters can be redefined for the y-axis and as well as whether the y-grid will be shown.
Scaling Parameters for the Channel (Y-Axis)
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Unit: From the Unit pull-down menu, select the appropriate unit (e.g. V, mV, etc.).
Auto: Choose Auto to allow y-axis scaling to automatically adapt to the measured values.
Fixed: Select Fixed to scale the y-axis manually.
Linear: Choose Linear if the measurement values shall be displayed using a linear scale.
Logarithmic: Select Logarithmic if the measurement values shall be displayed using a
logarithmic scale.
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Y-Grid: Check this function to display a grid parallel to the y-axis of the diagram.
Scaling Parameters for the Time Axis (X-Axis)
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Relative Time Scale: If this function is activated (checked), the time axis is labeled with
seconds in relation to the end value of the scale. The time interval shown depends on the
setting of the scaling options Auto and Current. (By default the time axis is labeled with date
and time.)
Auto: Data are collected (for up to two hours) and continuously displayed in the diagram. The
time scale continuously changes as it is adapted to the growing time interval. The end value of
the scale is the current time.
Current: Select Current, if the diagram shall display an online time interval of n seconds.
Enter the number of seconds to be displayed. The start value and the end value of this diagram
change continuously - the time interval shown stays the same. The end value of the scale is
the current time.
Fixed: Enter a fixed time interval for which the measurement values shall be displayed. This
option corresponds to the Freeze function within the context menu. The diagram does not
updated after this point. If another scaling option for the diagram is selected, gaps may
appear, as there were no data gathered during the frozen state of the diagram.
X-Grid: Check this function to display a grid parallel to the x-axis of the diagram.
Click the Apply button to see whether the modified scaling appears as desired. Then the scaling is
modified but the dialog window is still open. It is still possible at this point to change the scaling
options or to select another channel to modify. Once the scaling settings are acceptable, click the
OK button. The dialog window will thus be closed.
NOTE
The scaling modifications within the display window of a diagram will not be saved to the view
definitions in the database! These modifications only apply to the active display window.
Marker Mode
Marker Mode must be enabled in order to set markers. Open the context menu by clicking with the
right mouse button into an area outside the graphics and select Marker Mode. A check mark will
appear in front of the function.
The marker mode can easily be enabled by simply pushing the M key.
To disable the marker mode, open the context menu by clicking with the right mouse button into
an area outside the graphics and select the Marker Mode once again. The check mark will disappear in front of the function. The markers are still shown in the diagram, but they can no longer be
moved.
The marker operation can easily be disabled by simply pressing the Esc button.
NOTE
The marker mode has to be enabled for each diagram individually! Shortcuts for
enabling/disabling the marker mode:
M
Enable the marker mode.
Esc
Disable the marker mode.
Two markers are available for each measurement diagram. The point of intersection of the active
marker with the y-axis is marked by a small triangle. If several channels are displayed in the diagram, the individual intersections of the marker with the y-axis are marked by triangles at the
different y-axis.
The marking triangles can be disabled by disabling the Draw Markers at Y Axis function.
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How to Set Markers
Set Marker a by clicking the left mouse button at the desired point of the graph. Set Marker b by
clicking the right mouse button at the desired point in the graph.
A vertical line appears in the graphics and the related values of the x- and y-axis are displayed to
the right of the graphics. The position of the marker will be related to the point of the graph which
lies next to the mouse click. The label shows date, time and the measurement value of the diagram
point.
For the display of the marker position, the graphics is shown in a compressed way.
How to Move Markers
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By clicking and holding a mouse button, the marker can be moved to any point of the trace.
marker a is moved using the left mouse button, while marker b is moved by the right.
The marker can also be moved using the arrow buttons: Move marker a with the left and right
arrow buttons. To move marker b, hold the Shift button and use the left and right arrow
buttons.
To display the position values of a certain trace point, click on that point on the trace. Leftclicking the mouse positions marker a, while right-clicking positions marker b.
How to Delete Markers
To delete markers move them outside the graphics area.
How to Switch Between the Channels
In a diagram showing several channels, it is possible to switch between channels by using the up
and down arrow buttons or by clicking the desired y-axis. The number of the active axis will be
marked by a rectangle. The enabled markers will be shown on every channel trace.
Marker Position Data
In a diagram with enabled markers, the time values and measurement values will be displayed to
the right of the graphics. When two markers are enabled, the difference values between the marker
points will also be displayed.
The Draw Marker at Y-Axis function in the context menu enables a small triangle which marks
the current y-axis value at the y-axis.
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Comments within the Diagram
FIGURE 4-24: COMMENTS WITHIN THE DIAGRAM
Comments can be inserted into a diagram and assigned to a measurement point of a trace. First,
draw a line to the point of interest to the area where the comment will be added by holding the Ctrl
button and left-clicking to set the starting point of the line. Then, draw a line to the desired
comment position, then left-click again. A rectangle with a “?” will appear. Enter the comment
into this field using the keyboard. Push the Enter button to confirm the comment and it will be
displayed in the field.
The comment field and the starting point of the line can be freely positioned using the left mouse
button, allowing the comment to be repositioned at any time.
NOTE
Comments should be attached to active measurement traces. If the measurement traces are
rescaled, any comments that are associated with inactive traces will become unattached, making it
impossible to determine where the unattached comments belonged. Only comments that are
attached to the active measurement traces stay attached to the trace when it is rescaled!
To switch between measurement traces, use the up and down arrow keys. The active trace is
marked by a rectangle around its y-axis number.
Right-clicking a comment field will cause a context menu to open that offers the following
options: Modify, Delete, Detach Anchor.
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The Modify function opens a dialog window:
Modify the comment and click:
o Cancel, to return to the previous comment
o Apply, to enter the modified comment into the comment field and while keeping the
dialog window open.
o OK, to enter the modified comment into the comment field and to close the window.
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The Remove function deletes the comment.
The Detach Anchor function allows the comment to be assigned to another measurement
point on the trace.
Both anchor and text can be positioned using the mouse button.
The comment text can also be positioned outside the graphics area.
Zoom
Hold the Shift button and simultaneously drag the cursor to a bottom right position to define the
area (rectangle) to zoom into. The area will be shown within the graphics in another color.
To abort the process while zooming into the area, drag the mouse to either the upper right or left of
the screen until the rectangle disappears.
As soon as the zooming area has been defined by releasing the mouse button, the zoomed area will
be frozen (Freeze function of the context menu is automatically activated) and enlarged to the size
of the diagram. The scaling will be adapted to the values of the zooming area. If needed, it is
possible to magnify this area again.
Each single zoom process can be reversed by selecting the Undo Zoom function in the context
menu. To return the original magnification after several zoom operations, use the Undo All
Zooms function in the context menu. The diagram will then readapt the original scaling, but it will
stay frozen. Unselect the Freeze function of the context menu to display online data again.
Channel Selection
In the graphics context menu, select Channel Selection to open the Channel Selection window
used to identify the channels that will be displayed.
FIGURE 4-25: CHANNEL SELECTION
Legend
Enable or disable the legend using the Legend function in the context menu click with the right
mouse button into an area outside the graphics to open the context menu and select Legend. The
legend is a table which displays the measurement values in a certain order. The columns are
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called: Channel Number, Label, Description, Unit, Minimum, and Maximum (of the y-values
displayed).
FIGURE 4-26: LEGEND ENABLED
The parameters and values of a channel are displayed in one line of the table. The line has the
same color as the trace of the channel.
Text Field
FIGURE 4-27: TEXT FIELD ENABLED
It is possible to enable/disable a text field for event descriptions by using the context menu. The
text field is inserted to the right of the legend and can be edited using the Modify function of its
context menu which appears when the text field is right-clicked.
The text field dialog window has two lines for the comment and one line for the date (From).
Enter the event description into a comment line and enter the date into the date line. Then click the
Apply button to write the event to the text field and to check the comment while the dialog
window stays open. Click OK to permanently accept the comment for the text field and to close
the dialog window.
It is possible to integrate a small company logo in the text field. For this purpose, VTIcoda by
default uses the image file logo.bmp which is located in the same directory as the *.exe file. To
use an individual logo (max. 482 x 112 pixel) in the text field, save that logo as logo.bmp in the
abovementioned directory.
Limits
For setting limits for the display, select the Limits function in the context menu. Select the desired
channel in the selection field and enter the limits that will be displayed for this channel.
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NOTE
This setting only refers to limits in the display - not to warning/abort limits in real-time operation
(which are defined in the Alarm tab of VTIcoda Admin (see Alarms in Section 3).
Activate the limit by checking the Active field. Enter the lower limit into the field below Lower
Limit and the higher limit in the field below Higher Limit. Then click the Apply button to verify
the entered limit values. If the values are appropriate, click the OK button. The specified limit
lines will now be displayed in the diagram.
FIGURE 4-28: LIMITS WINDOW
Printing
To print a diagram, select the Print Preview function in the context menu, to view the display on
screen as it will appear when it prints.
FIGURE 4-29: PRINT PREVIEW
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The preview provides an editable text field to the bottom right. Click with the right mouse button
into the text field and the context menu opens offering the Modify function. Select the Modify
function and the Text Field dialog window opens which shows two lines any comment may be
entered, as well as one line for the date. Click the Apply button to verify whether the entered data
are correct, then click the OK button to confirm the entered data.
The text field and the legend can be disabled by removing the check mark before Text Field and
Legend in the context menu.
Click with the right mouse button into an area outside the graphics to open the context menu and
select the Print function. The Windows Print window will open, where printing options can be
defined before the print preview.
The printout can also be saved to a file. The diagram will be saved as an EMF (Enhanced
Windows Metafile).
This type of file offers the following advantages:
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it can be imported into all MS Office applications
it is compact
it offers an identical image of the screen diagram or its printout
Print to File
The Print to File function in the context menu will create an EMF file where the current graphics
will be saved in the directory provided.
Freezing a Display
If Freeze is selected, the display will not enlarge and the time axis will stop. To reactivate the
recording of the current measurement values in a frozen chart, select the Real Time
Measurement Values function in the context menu.
NOTE
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To quickly freeze a display, select the chart window and press the Space bar. This will
immediately freeze the chart. To reactivate event recording for the current measurement values,
select the Real Time Measurement Values function in the context menu.
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SECTION 5
VTICODA SAMPLE
INTRODUCTION
As soon as a test run is started in VTIcoda Admin to acquire measurement data, the VTIcoda
Sample application is automatically started to make sure all measurement data are correctly
stored to hard disk.
By default, measurement data are stored in the \data subdirectory of the VTIcoda installation. Each
acquired sample is stored in a file named “sample_01_UTC_sampletime.bin“.
The measurement data are stored in a VLC media file format.
NOTE
VTIcoda Sample
1) The VTIcoda automatic data storage process only stores measured data, but NOT any
calculated data. Do not delete the any test run where calculated data may be needed later, as
the test run configuration is required in order to be able to restore any calculated data.
2) Alternatively, save these data via export to MS Excel.
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SECTION 6
VTICODA CHANNEL CALCULATOR
INTRODUCTION
The VTIcoda Channel Calculator is a useful tool for the calculation of complex measurement
tasks. It allows for simple formulas to be easily created and combine based on the so-called
“Reverse Polish Notation” (RPN) for the stack-based calculation of formulas. This type of entry
logic has been derived from the Polish Notation which was invented by the Polish mathematician
Jan Lukasiewicz in the 1920s.
The original Polish notation is a compact type of logic not using any brackets. Polish notation is
also known as prefix notation which means that the operator is placed in front of the operand.
The RPN is based on the principle of arranging formulas in such a way that the values are entered
first, and the operators are applied behind the values/operand (also called postfix notation). This
simple principle facilitates fast, stack-based processing. It has been widely used by many Hewlett
Packard pocket calculators in the 1970s.
STARTING THE CHANNEL CALCULATOR
To start the Channel Calculator tool, click the on the Channel Calculator (
toolbar. A separate window will pop-up on the screen.
VTIcoda Channel Calculator
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The Channel Calculator is an independent application so that the Channel Calculator window can
always remain open while other measurement and/or analysis tasks are being performed with
VTIcoda.
OPERATING ELEMENTS
The main operating elements to search for, open, and save formulas are arranged in a small toolbar
located in the upper section of the window.
FIGURE 6-1: CHANNEL CALCULATOR TOOLBAR
New formula
Creates a new formula in the Channel Calculator
First formula
Save formula
Scrolls to the first formula (in alphabetical order) of the formula list
for the selected test run.
Scrolls to the previous formula (in alphabetical order) of the formula
list for the selected test run.
Scrolls to the next formula (in alphabetical order) of the formula list
for the selected test run.
Scrolls to the last formula (in alphabetical order) of the formula list for
the selected test run.
Saves the current formula.
Delete formula
Deletes the current formula.
Overview
Opens a small window which displays an overview of all existing
formulae for the selected test run.
Previous formula
Next formula
Last formula
Below the Channel Calculator toolbar several pull-down menus can be found that allows for
several options defined.
Select testrun
Click the black arrow to open a pull-down list displaying all available test
runs. Move the cursor to highlight the test run for which a new formula
will be created.
Select channel group Click the black arrow to open a pull-down list displaying all available
channel groups. Move the cursor to highlight the required channel group,
or select All groups to allows all channels to be included.
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Select basic unit
Click the black arrow to open a pull-down list displaying all available
basic units. Move the cursor to highlight the unit of measure that will be
used in the formula.
Formula name
In the entry field, enter a name that the formula will be filed as.
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CREATING A NEW FORMULA
To create a new formula, e.g. in order to be used by a calculation channel (see Signals in
Section 3), proceed as follows:
Open and Name New Formula
Click the (
) New Formula button in the Channel Calculator toolbar. The window will now
show a blank entry sheet where the new formula can be defined.
FIGURE 6-2: STARTING A NEW FORMULA
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Select a test run for which the formula will be defined.
If desired, select a channel group to filter the amount channels.
Select an appropriate basic unit for new formula.
Enter a name for the new formula that was created.
Once the new formula has been setup, the mathematical steps of the formula can be defined. Each
of these steps has an “order number”. The Channel Calculator automatically allocates number 10
to the first step, number 20 to the next step etc. Other order number may be used, however, if
desired.
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Example of Defining a New Formula
For example, assume that a calculation channel will be created for Testrun 001 which
automatically adds the measurement results (in V) of the channels FCS1, FCS2, and FCS3. This
formula will be named Summary channels FCS1+2+3.
EXAMPLE FORMULA FOR ADDING UP MEASUREMENT RESULTS
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In the first line (order 10), select FCS1 from the Channel pull-down list.
In the second line (order 20), select FCS2 from the Channel pull-down list. To add the result
of FCS2 to FCS1, select “+” from the Operator/Function pull-down menu.
In the third line (order 30), select FCS3 from the Channel pull-down list. To add the result of
FCS3 to the sum of FCS1 + FCS2, select “+” from the Operator/Function pull-down menu.
In the fourth line (order 40), select + from the Operator/Function pull-down menu.
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In the fifth line (order 50), select + from the Operator/Function pull-down menu.
The new formula is now complete and is documented in the Result line which now reads
“Result = FCS1 + FCS2 + FCS3“.
) to save the new formula.
Click the Save icon (
If Testrun 1 is opened in the Coda Admin window and the Signals tab is selected, a formula
called Summary channels FCS1+2+3 will now be available for any calculation channel.
To do so, double-click the relevant field in the column headlined Formula. A pull-down list will
open showing all of the available formulae for the test run, including the new formula called
Summary channels FCS1+2+3.
List of Available Operators
When defining new formulae, click the black arrow of the relevant field in the
Operator/Function column to open the pull-down list.
FIGURE 6-3: OPERATOR/FUNCTION PULL-DOWN LIST
One of the following operators can be selected for mathematical operations:
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+
*
/
SIN
COS
TAN
ABS
SQR
^2
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VTIcoda Channel Calculator
Adds up the relevant operands.
Subtracts the relevant operands.
Multiplies relevant operands.
Divides relevant operands.
Determines the sine value of the relevant operand.
Determines the cosine value of the relevant operand.
Determines the tangent value of the relevant operand.
Determines the absolute value of the relevant operand.
Determines the square root of the relevant operand.
Determines the square value of the relevant operand.
Determines the cubic value of the relevant operand.
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SECTION 7
VTICODA LIST CREATOR
INTRODUCTION
VTIcoda allows for the creation of lists and for database content to be printed, such as hardware
configuration, signal configuration, etc. The list creation and printout is realized via an export of
database data to Microsoft Excel.
OPERATION
Click the (
) icon to export the current test run data to MS Excel.
The Excel Export - Field Selection window opens.
VTIcoda by default displays all database fields in the Selected Fields part of the window. To
restrict the number of exported fields, select the undesired fields.
FIGURE 7-1: EXCEL EXPORT FIELD SELECTION
To move an individual field from one part of the window to the other, either double click the
corresponding field or click and drag the field to the other window.
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To move several fields together, select multiple fields by clicking and holding the Shift key, then
selecting a field above or below the initial field to select a continuous group of fields. Several
individual fields can be selected by left-clicking on fields while holding down Ctrl key.
The selected fields can then be moved to the other window area by left-clicking the selected area
and moving the mouse while holding down the mouse button.
The order of the columns can be defined by selecting the entries and pulling them up or down to
the desired position within the list.
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Once the desired fields have been selected, click the Preview button to display a preview of
the table to be exported.
FIGURE 7-2: PRINT PREVIEW IN MS EXCEL
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Instead of opening the preview window, click Excel Export for direct data export to Excel.
The values will be entered into an Excel table and the field names will appear in the column
headers.
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FIGURE 7-3: EXCEL TABLE OF EXPORTED HARDWARE CONFIGURATION DATA
If Print Preview function in MS Excel is used, it can be seen that VTIcoda automatically adds a
header (VTIcoda test run data) and footer (the date and time the data was exported) to the
spreadsheet.
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FIGURE 7-4: PRINT PREVIEW OF EXCEL LIST
Remark on the WHERE and ORDER BY buttons
Users who are familiar with SQL database programming may want to define an individual field
selection and sorting order using the WHERE and ORDER BY buttons offered in the lower part of
the Excel Export - Field selection window.
In the entry field behind the WHERE button, enter the WHERE clause without the keyword
“WHERE”. Then enter the ORDER BY clause without the keyword “ORDER BY” behind the
ORDER BY button, or click one of the buttons to start a wizard which will provide guidance for
the entry procedure.
Please feel free to contact a local VXI Technology representative for support if required.
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SECTION 8
VTICODA COLLECT
INTRODUCTION
The VTIcoda Collect program part provides the possibility to take snapshots of all measurement
data or of a filtered group of measurement data in digital form. The user can make up an unlimited
number of snapshots per test run.
These snapshots can be saved in MS Excel worksheets.
Start VTIcoda Collect by clicking the (
the VTIcoda Collect main window.
) icon in the VTIcoda Admin toolbar. This will open
FIGURE 8-1: MAIN WINDOW
VTICODA COLLECT FUNCTIONS AND OPERATING ELEMENTS
First, select the test run which will take the measurements.
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Use the Select test run pull-down list to select the required test run.
Next, specific channel groups may be selected in the even that all channels will not be needed for
the measurement.
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Use the Select channel group pull-down list to select a channel group, if applicable.
Include channels without zero measurement: When this function is used, the system includes
all channels of the group which were measured without previous zero calibration.
VTIcoda Collect allows for measurements to be taken for either a group of channels or for all
available channels.
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Click the Take measurement manually button to manually take a measurement.
It is also possible with VTIcoda to trigger measurements from an external system. For such cases,
the VTIcodaCollect main window indicates the system status in terms of the ability to receive an
external trigger signal (Listen Socket LED green) and to acknowledge the receipt of a trigger signal (Send Socket LED green). In case the system is unable to receive and/or acknowledge such
trigger signals, a red LED will be displayed.
For the evaluation and analysis of measurements, CodaCollect offers an export of measurement
data to Microsoft Excel.
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Click the Analyse measurements with Excel button to export the collected measurement
values and enter a title for the Excel worksheet. See the following section for more details on
how to analyze measurement data.
Click Exit if to terminate the VTIcoda Collect application and return to the VTIcoda Admin.
EVALUATION OF MEASUREMENT DATA USING MS EXCEL
Measurements can be evaluated using Microsoft Excel. Click the Analyze Measurements with
Excel button to open Microsoft Excel as well as a window which provides one or more snapshot
files for the evaluation can be made.
Output of Raw Data
The measurement values are entered into the table as raw data. The header for each of the measurements (columns C to J in the picture below) consists of a time and date stamp.
FIGURE 8-2: EXCEL TABLE WITH RAW DATA
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The abbreviation #INF shown in lines 19 and 20 indicates that VTIcoda was unable to identify the
signal measured on this channel.
Several snapshot files can be opened one below the other in the same Excel Table.
On the printout, the table header is the one entered into the VTIcoda Collect main window. In the
line after: “Title of the Excel Evaluation” the program proposes the header “Snapshot
Measurement” together with the current date stamp. The default header can be modified, if
needed.
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SECTION 9
VTICODA ALARM
INTRODUCTION
The VTIcoda Alarm program part provides an overview of all active channels and their current
state regarding alarm limit violations. The alarm limits have been defined in the test run definition
window (see Alarms in Section 3).
The different colors indicate different channel states. These states are explained in the legend part
at the bottom of the window.
There are two different types of VTIcoda Alarm programs.
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MASTER ALARM
The first type of alarm is started (and terminated) automatically by VTIcoda Admin whenever a
test run is started. It can therefore be called “master alarm”.
FIGURE 9-1: MASTER ALARM
VTIcoda Admin passes the active test run name to VTIcoda Alarm - the test run monitored here
(as displayed in the header line in the upper screen section, e.g. Testrun 002 in the example shown
above) cannot be changed by the user.
The Master Alarm program can only be started once and it runs on the same server as VTIcoda
Admin. If required, it can be terminated manually, after the user has confirmed that he really
wants to stop it.
Whenever active, the Master Alarm program writes its messages to a log file. Users are able to
display a list with the latest alarm messages by clicking the blue arrow to the right of the table
header.
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REMOTE ALARM
The second type of alarm can be started manually from the VTIcoda Admin desktop by clicking
the (
) icon. This can also be done by users on other servers that are connected to the
OnlineServer - this is why it can be called Remote Alarm. It is possible to open this application
multiple times, and it can be terminated at any time.
FIGURE 9-2: REMOTE ALARM
The Remote Alarm program does NOT write messages to a log file and users are NOT able to
display a list with the latest alarm messages.
VTICODA ALARM DISPLAY ELEMENTS
The header of the Alarm main screen indicates the current general system status, e.g. “Performing
strain measurements”.
•
•
VTIcoda Alarm
In the first selection field, select a test run to be monitored from the pull-down list.
In the second selection field, select a channel group to be monitored from the pull-down list.
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Below the header and selection fields, a table is found that displays messages that describe the
current status of several system categories such as VXI Measurement, Connection Server etc. To
view the list, either scroll using the scroll bar or open the list by clicking on the blue arrow next to
the table.
FIGURE 9-3: LIST DISPLAY OF GENERAL SYSTEM COMPONENT ALARM STATUS
The color in which these categories are displayed indicates the current status of each category (e.g.
Stopped, Started, Alarm).
The lower part of the window provides an overview of the status of each channel monitored in this
test run.
FIGURE 9-4: CHANNEL ALARM STATUS OVERVIEW
•
•
Move the mouse pointer to any channel to display a tooltip indicating to which group the
current channel has been assigned.
Click a channel to display in the windows in the lower part of the screen (next to “Time”)
information about the lower alarm limit, currently measured value and upper alarm limit.
Alarm Status Colors
•
•
•
•
•
•
If the upper alarm limit is currently being violated, the channel button turns to red.
If the alarm limit violation took place in the past, and the measurement values are currently
within the limits, the channel turns to pink.
If the lower alarm limit is currently being violated, the channel button turns to yellow.
If the alarm limit violation took place in the past, and the measurement values are currently
within the limits, the channel button turns to light yellow.
All channels of which the alarm limits are controlled, but where no alarm limit violation
occurred, are shown as green buttons.
Channels with inactive alarm limits are shown as grey buttons.
A channel button is clicked, the bottom line displays further information on the channel state as
well as the current measurement values of this channel.
Next to the channel button lines there is a blue arrow. Click this arrow to switch to an alarm list.
The buttons will disappear and a list of all alarm messages that occurred will be shown. Click the
arrow button again to return to the channel buttons view.
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Click the Reset System button to delete the alarms list.
Click the Reset Channels button to delete alarms concerning a certain channel.
Click the Exit button to leave the program.
All messages of the CodaAlarm program are written to a log file. Open this log file by clicking the
Open Log file button.
See the next chapter for more information about the VTIcoda LogViewer program part.
VTIcoda Alarm
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SECTION 10
VTICODA LOGVIEWER
INTRODUCTION
The LogViewer program part provides access to all system messages that are logged during the
data acquisition with VTIcoda. To start the LogViewer:
•
•
either click the Open log file button in the Coda Alarm window
) button in the VTIcoda Admin program.
or, click the (
LOGVIEWER WITH REAL-TIME TEST
If a VTIcoda test is running when starting the LogViewer, the messages of the current test run will
automatically be displayed. Alternatively, the running test can be switched offline for the
LogViewer display by selecting the (Offline) item in the combo box in the upper right section of
the screen (see screenshot below).
FIGURE 10-1: SELECTION OF ONLINE OR OFFLINE TEST
VTIcoda Log Viewer
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LOGVIEWER WITH REAL-TIME TEST
If no VTIcoda test is running while starting the LogViewer, a stored test run can be selected
historical data will appear in the LogViewer. Do this by clicking the Open Log file button at the
bottom of the screen and select a stored test run.
FIGURE 10-2: LOGVIEWER MAIN WINDOW
Each message displayed in this window is marked with a small color field on the left side of the
table. Please see the legend in the lower part of the screen to see the meaning of the color codes.
FILTERING ALARM MESSAGES
Depending on the duration of logging, this file may contain a large number of entries.
The message list may also be filtered by the header entries Time, Area, Status, or Group. Simply
click the relevant header field (e.g. Time) to display a selection window.
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FIGURE 10-3: FILTERING OF LOG FILE MESSAGES BY TIME
The time period for which log file messages will be displayed is selected at this window.
Once the time period is specified, click the Time header again to return to the message display
mode which now reflects the filtered time period previously defined before.
Similarly, click the Area header field to display the relevant filter selection.
FIGURE 10-4: FILTERING OF LOG FILE MESSAGES BY AREA
From here, the area (category) can be selected that will display log file messages.
Deselect the checkboxes that are not required for this message list. For example, to display only
messages referring to the VXI System, remove the checkmarks for Chn. Excit. V., Chn.
Measure, and System.
Then click the Area header again to return to the message display mode which now reflects the
selected filter.
Similarly, click the Status header field to display the relevant filter selection.
FIGURE 10-5: FILTERING OF LOG FILE MESSAGES BY ALARM STATUS
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From here, the alarm status type can be selected for which log file messages will be displayed.
Uncheck the checkbox of those status types that are not are not desired for the display. For
example, to display only messages categorized as Alarm, remove the checkmarks for OK
Message and Status.
Then click the Area header again to return to the message display mode that now reflects the
selected filter.
Similarly, click the Group header field to display the relevant filter selection.
FIGURE 10-6: FILTERING OF LOG FILE MESSAGES BY CHANNEL GROUP
From here, channel groups can be selected for which log file messages will be displayed.
Uncheck the checkbox of those status types that are not wanted in the message list. For example to
display only messages categorized as Right Airfoil, remove the checkmarks for FCS, Group X
and Left Airfoil.
Then click the Group header again to return to the message display mode which now reflects the
selected filter.
PRINT LOG FILE
To create a hardcopy of the alarm messages currently displayed in the LogViewer, click the Print
button at the bottom of the screen. A dialog box will appear requesting the selection of an
appropriate printer.
Having selected the desired printer and, if necessary, configured it, click OK to start the print job.
The hardcopy of the log file provides a detailed overview of alarm messages that occurred in the
time period indicated in the top right corner of the hardcopy.
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FIGURE 10-7: LOG FILE HARDCOPY
To start working with another log file, click the Open log file button and select a different file.
VTIcoda Log Viewer
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SECTION 11
VTICODA SOFTWARE INFORMATION
OVERVIEW OF PROGRAM FILES
The VTIcoda software system includes the following executable files which are stored in the \bin
subdirectory of the VTIcoda installation:
Program File Name
Description of Program
Group A
Main program modules that have to be launched to start the
VTIcoda application
Core module of the VTIcoda software, used for hardware configuration and calibration, test run definition, test run start/stop, VTIcoda
software configuration, database administration (see chapter
Program module which is used to create and select the view definitions that VTIcoda uses to display online or historical test run data.
Program module which is used to store the measurement data provided
from the connected measurement hardware and to make them
available to other VTIcoda software modules.
VTIcodaAdmin.exe
VTIcodaView.exe
CodaOnlineServer.exe
Group B
CodaChannelCalculator.exe
CodaListCreator.exe
CodaCollect.exe
CodaAlarm.exe
CodaLogViewer.exe
Group C
CodaSample.exe
CodaSvcLCSSmarTest.exe
CodaSvcXXID.exe
NOTE
NOTE: Please note that as soon as the VTIcoda OnlineServer
application is terminated, the storing of measurement data to hard disk
also stops.
Programs that can be started from the VTIcoda user interface if
required
Program module which can be used to create and combine formulas
for the calculation of complex measurement tasks.
Program module which is used to export or print database content
such as a selected hardware configuration etc.
Program module which can be used to take snapshots of measurement
data in digital form.
Program module which provides an overview of all active channels
and their current status regarding alarm limit violations.
Program module which provides access to all system messages that
are logged during the data acquisition with VTIcoda.
Additional programs that cannot be started from the VTIcoda
user interface but which are automatically started by VTIcoda to
ensure perfect operation
Program module used to automatically store measurement data to hard
disk.
NOTE: Please note that as soon as the CodaOnlineServer application
is terminated, the storing of measurement data to hard disk also stops.
Program module used to acquire data from the LCS hardware system.
Program module used to acquire data from the VXI hardware system.
Do not change any names of the default files and directories described in this section as this may
corrupt the VTIcoda system operation!
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Location of Program Files
The following program files must be located on the SAME server to ensure proper operation:
•
•
•
•
•
•
CodaAdmin.exe
CodaChannelCalcuator.exe
CodaCollect.exe
CodaLogViewer.exe
CodaSample.exe
CodaOnlineServer.exe
The following program files can be located on any server which is connected to the
CodaOnlineServer application:
•
•
CodaView.exe
CodaAlarm.exe
Acquisition software:
•
•
codaSvcLCSSmarTestD.exe (can be installed on any server)
codaSvcXXID.exe (must be installed on the server which is connected to the VXI
measurement hardware using a Firewire interface.)
Please note that the Windows hosts file must be reconfigured for every server on which the above
files are stored (for all default Windows installations, the hosts file can be found at C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts).
The following entries may have to be modified (the IP address used below is only an example and
must be changed to reflect the IP address in the system running VTIcoda):
1.0.1.80
CodaXXI #(server for VXI data acquisition)
1.0.1.80
CodaLST # (server for LCS data acquisition)
1.0.1.80
CodaSNAPSHOT #(server with VTIcoda)
1.0.1.80
CodaONLINESERVER #(server with CodaOnlineServer)
1.200.200.220
CodaLCSSMARTEST #(server connected to LCS software)
STORAGE OF DATA
As soon as a test run is started to acquire measurement data using VTIcoda, the CodaSample
application is automatically started to make sure all measurement data are correctly stored to hard
disk.
By default, measurement data are stored in the \data subdirectory of the VTIcoda installation. Each
acquired sample is stored in a file named “sample_01_UTC_sampletime.bin. The measurement
data are stored in a VLC media file format.
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1) As soon as the VTIcoda OnlineServer application is terminated, the storing of measurement
data to hard disk also stops. In case this should happen, re-start the VTIcoda system to
make sure the OnlineServer application is active.
2) The VTIcoda automatic data storage process only stores measured data, but NOT any
calculated data. If calculated data will be required later, do not delete the corresponding test
run, as the test run configuration is required in order to restore date of this type.
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SOFTWARE CONFIGURATION
The following section provides an overview of registry entries related to VTIcoda.
CodaAdmin
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\m+p\VTIcoda]
"CodaSamplePath"="C:\\usr\\coda\\bin\\CodaSample.exe"
Path to CodaSample program
"CodaAlarmPath"="C:\\usr\\coda\\bin\\CodaAlarm.exe"
Path to CodaAlarm program
"CodaLogViewerPath"="C:\\usr\\coda\\bin\\CodaLogViewer.exe"
Path to CodaLogViewer program
"CodaCollectPath"="C:\\usr\\coda\\bin\\CodaCollect.exe"
Path to CodaCollect program
"CodaChannelCalculatorPath"="C:\\usr\\coda\\bin\\CodaChannelCalculator.exe"
Path to CodaChannelCalculator program
"CodaLanguage"="ENGLISH"
.
Language setting (only "ENGLISH" available)
CodaView
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\m+p\VTIcoda]
"Path"="C:\\usr\\CODA\\"
Main path to VTIcoda program directory
"CodaDataServer"="1.0.1.80"
IP address of the computer running CodaOnlineServer
"CodaDataRoot"="c:\ \"
Default path for replay data
"CodaDirTempfiles"="D:\\data\\my\\codaviewtemp"
Path for temporarily stored local replay data
"TimeLength"=dword:000002d0
.Maximum duration (in seconds) in CodaView diagram.
OnlineServer
"DataBufferOnlineServer"=dword:00001a90
Number of values per channel in shared memory of OnlineServer
CodaCollect
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\m+p\VTIcoda\CodaCollect]
"SendAddress"="CodaLST"
Name of PC to which CodaCollect sends messages after receiving snapshot
triggers and executing the measurement
(if defined in C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts, otherwise IP address)
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\m+p\VTIcoda\CodaCollect\ExcelWorkbook]
"ExcelWorkbook_Snapshots"="C:\\VTIcoda\\Data\\Snapshots"
Default path to save snapshot files (used if the path specified in the database
is missing or not found)
"ExcelWorkbook_Excel"="C:\\Programs\\Microsoft Office\\OFFICE11\\Excel.exe"
Path of MS Excel application
CodaAlarm
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\m+p\VTIcoda\Alarm]
"CodaDataServer"="1.1.1.1"
IP address of the PC running CodaOnlineServer
"LogViewPath"="C:\\VTIcoda\\Bin\\CodaLogViewer.exe"
Path of LogViewer
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INDEX
A
alarm limit.......................................................................102
alarm limits .......................................................................49
Alarm status colors .........................................................102
alarms ...............................................................................43
arrangement of channel diagrams ...............................64, 69
scaling...............................................................................73
C
calculation channel .....................................................22, 89
calculation channel (for strain gage measurements) .........22
calculation channels..........................................................47
Change View Definition .............................................23, 60
channel display .................................................................72
Choose Data Source..........................................................68
CodaAlarm......................................................................111
CodaCollect ....................................................................111
CodaLogViewer..............................................................111
CodaOnlineServer...........................................................111
CodaSample....................................................................111
color settings.....................................................................71
comments..........................................................................76
context menu.........................................................29, 36, 68
graphics display ...........................................................70
Copy View Definition.......................................................66
L
label field.......................................................................... 79
lead wire resistance value................................................. 51
legend............................................................................... 78
limit .................................................................................. 79
Log Viewer ................................................................ 9, 105
logfile ............................................................................. 105
login ................................................................................. 19
M
marker .............................................................................. 75
marker position data ......................................................... 76
master reset ...................................................................... 41
measurement channel ....................................................... 22
measurement range........................................................... 46
menu bar............................................................... 28, 30, 56
minimum/maximum change............................................. 58
move markers ................................................................... 76
multiple processes ............................................................ 53
O
Open logfile.................................................................... 109
Oracle database ................................................................ 57
order number .................................................................... 88
D
P
data source ........................................................................57
define new test run............................................................42
delete markers...................................................................76
delete test run....................................................................42
diagram type .....................................................................64
digital output channel........................................................50
password .......................................................................... 34
change password ......................................................... 31
Poisson ratio..................................................................... 37
printout............................................................................. 80
R
excitation voltage unstrained ............................................51
replay mode...................................................................... 73
replay speed...................................................................... 73
Reverse Polish Notation ................................................... 85
F
S
filter logfile .....................................................................106
filtering function ...............................................................45
sample rate ....................................................................... 46
separate ............................................................................ 71
set markers ....................................................................... 75
shunt calibration ............................................................... 51
sorting order ..................................................................... 94
Start/Stop Test Run .......................................................... 40
status bar .................................................................... 32, 58
status information............................................................. 58
Storage of Data............................................................... 112
strain gage ........................................................................ 50
Strain Gage Channels ....................................................... 22
strain gage measurements................................................. 22
Strain Prediction............................................................... 67
support resources................................................................ 7
E
G
gage factor ........................................................................51
graphics display ................................................................69
H
Hardware Detection ..........................................................32
hardware settings ..............................................................43
Hardware Status................................................................17
hysteresis, alarm ...............................................................49
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T
task bar..............................................................................58
temperature balancing.......................................................51
temperature channel..........................................................48
terminate VTIcoda Admin ................................................53
test run status display........................................................41
tool bar............................................................28, 30, 32, 56
transducer .........................................................................47
transducer ID ....................................................................48
transducer option ..............................................................48
tree ....................................................................................28
trigger measurements........................................................96
U
user management ..............................................................34
user privileges...................................................................34
user-defined resistor..........................................................48
V
View Definition ..........................................................23, 60
VTIcoda Channel Calculator ............................................85
VTIcoda Sample ...............................................................83
Y
Young’ s modulus.............................................................37
Z
zero measurement .................................................41, 51, 96
zoom .................................................................................77
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VTIcoda Index